Union Sues Catholic Healthcare West

A long-simmering labor dispute at St. Francis Medical Center spilled into the courts Thursday, when union attorneys filed suit to stop the hospital from using public funds for anti-union activities. The lawsuit, filed by the Service Employees International Union and the California Congress of Seniors, alleges that the center and its parent company, Catholic Healthcare West, paid consultants, attorneys and staff members to fight organizing efforts, then included those costs in billings for patient reimbursements. The suit states that three-fourths of the hospital’s patient revenue comes from Medicare and Medi-Cal, which explicitly prohibit the use of funds to fight unions. A spokeswoman for the nonprofit health-care group said she had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on it. For more than a year, the union and hospital management have locked horns over an attempt to organize all staff members except registered nurses.