Healthcare Workers at Windham Hospital Gain Support

Support for healthcare workers at Windham Hospital continues to grow as the nurses and support staff demand affordable health coverage and livable wages.

This week US Senator Richard Blumenthal joined the healthcare workers at a press conference saying “hospitals should be putting patients above profits.”

“Since Hartford Health Care took over WCMH, there has been a dramatic shift from quality patient care to positive operating margins,” say the presidents of Windham Federation of Professional Nurses, AFT Local 5041 and WCMH United Employees, AFT Local 5099. “HHC’s “partnership” and acquisition has led to the loss of vital services such as our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and our Labor and Delivery Unit.”

In September, they went on a 48 hour strike for their demands. At this week's press conference with Blumenthal, Andrea Riley, a nurse and president of Local 5041, said "We’re seeing a shift from patient to profit healthcare and that’s something we’d like to reverse back."

A community petition in support of the 400 members of the two unions sums up the situation:

“Since December of 2021, the caregivers at Windham Community Memorial Hospital (WCMH) have been laser-focused on working together with hospital management to resolve our region’s patient care crisis. Rather than recognizing its workforce by agreeing to common-sense solutions, the chain’s lawyers have refused fair wage increases and pushed higher employee insurance costs.

“We are calling on our community to join us in standing up to this heartless health chain. Help us hold HHC’s executives accountable to their patients and to their employees.”

The situation at WCMH is not unique. Healthcare workers across the country have been forced to strike while the CEOs of 178 major health care companies have enjoyed a 31% increase in compensation since 2019..

In May, Blumenthal was one of 14 US Senators to join Bernie Sanders in co-sponsoring the Medicare for All Act of 2022 which would save $650 billion a year, improve the economy and eliminate all out-of-pocket health care costs according to the Congressional Budget Office.

“Health care should be a right for all, not a luxury for some,” said Blumenthal. “Our status quo is unacceptable. Regardless of age, income, or zip-code, access to quality, timely medical care should be guaranteed for all who need it.”