In the Media
Bill Miossi Discusses Unionization in the Health Care Industry with Healthcare Financial Management Association
In the Media
October 13, 2023
Winston & Strawn partner Bill Miossi was recently quoted in a Healthcare Financial Management Association article where he discussed health care labor union activity and the impact it may have on the hospital and health system sector. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 84 work stoppages at hospitals between 1993 and 2021, or one every 4.1 months. The pace has accelerated since the start of 2022, with 15 stoppages in an approximately 21-month span through early October, or one every 1.4 months. However, experts say the impact of unionization in health care is not yet as substantial as the buzz around the topic suggests.
“It’s more anecdotal than it is systemic,” said Bill. “The news has forced a lot of this stuff into people’s field of vision.”
He noted the impact is greater in certain markets, such as New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. Regardless, statistics are no consolation to the provider at the center of the storm.
“Trends mean nothing when your staff are out there picketing or withholding their labor,” he said. “That’s an all-hands-on-deck, DEFCON 5 situation for that provider. It’s very stressful, and they’re very concerned, as they should be, about the perception the public has [regarding] patient safety: ‘How am I going to be assured that care will be uninterrupted?”
Bill continued by stating that ensuring employee relations are good and hospitals have good, effective leadership in place is one way for hospitals to avoid a unionization push.
“Good leadership means individuals who develop relationships with their employees, people they’re supervising. They listen, they give them feedback, they treat them with respect. All the stuff you learned in kindergarten, but it’s hard to do day-to-day as the stresses pile on.”