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TOPIC: Workers still awaiting pay from Kessler

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Date: 11:34 AM Apr 11, 2009

Workers still awaiting pay from Kessler	Permalink

By ROB SPAHR Staff Writer, 609-272-7283 (Published: Saturday, April 11, 2009) HAMMONTON - Kessler Memorial Hospital closed its doors one month ago Sunday, but its employees are still waiting for the pay and benefits they are owed. Machelle Woolston, a labor representative with health care union JNESO, District Council 1, said JNESO filed a wage and hour grievance with the state Department of Labor and is in the midst of bargaining with Kessler officials to recoup other benefits. JNESO represents only a fraction of the hospital's employees, Woolston said, but it filed the grievance on behalf of the entire staff. Employees received one week's pay when Kessler closed March 12 and received another partial payment several days later, Woolston said, but they are still owed about two weeks' salary, as well as compensation for accrued sick, vacation and personal time. "Payments have been sporadic, but bill collectors are not going to wait," Woolston said. "It is certainly not worthy of the dedication these workers showed that hospital." But Peter Gould, the executive vice president of District 1199C of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, said what is hurting the laid-off health care professionals the most is the loss of their health benefits. Gould said many more Americans can now afford COBRA insurance coverage under President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. But because of Kessler's financial troubles, employees were not eligible for COBRA benefits. "Many of these are health care workers who devoted 30 and 40 years of their lives to that hospital, only to show up to work one day to find out they lost their own health care benefits and pensions," said Eric Lipton, a spokesman for JNESO. He said the situation was avoidable. "You can't blame the recession for this, and you can't blame the state. This was a result of the inability of (Kessler officials) to make the tough but sensible decisions to keep the place open." Former Kessler nurse Merry Post was lucky enough to find another job at Oak and Main Surgery Center in Vineland. The 52-year-old Mullica Township resident raved about her new employer but is still missing two weeks' pay, 76 hours of vacation time and more than 200 hours of accrued sick time from her previous job. "I know those things can take a long time to be resolved, and I could wait for them. The only problem I have is being without health insurance after we couldn't get COBRA," said Post, who worked at Kessler for eight years. "I wish things would've been done differently. You'd think that after all the years that many of the people devoted to there, you'd get off a little bit better." Woolston said the former employees could wait years to get what they are owed. "We're still waiting for the more than $250,000 that we're owed from when Kessler went bankrupt in 2006," she said. Gould said hospital officials told District 1199C they expect to make the remaining wage and health payments after the hospital is sold. AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center opened a satellite emergency department out of what used to be Kessler's emergency room. Multiple messages left for Kessler officials and lawyers were not returned. "I think when people work they have the right to expect the money that is due to them," Gould said. "I just don't know what likelihood of them getting it is going to be." E-mail Robert Spahr: RSpahr@pressofac.com __________________

Anonymous

Date: 10:28 AM Apr 12, 2009

	Permalink
Its always the worker who gets shafted while the CEOs and upper management walk away without losing anything. Thank you Kessler staff for your hard work and dedication. I just wish you were treated better and not misled. __________________

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