Officials spar over UMC layoffs

Sixteen laid-off nursing assistants at University Medical Center ignited a debate Tuesday about how Clark County leaders should handle what could be hundreds of layoffs in the coming year.

County commissioners' decision two weeks ago to lay off 16 certified nurses' aides irked union leaders, who complained that hospital officials never told them about the plan.

Union leaders also questioned whether the nursing assistants were being unfairly blamed for a Nov. 30 incident in which a pregnant woman received no care at UMC's emergency room and later had breech birth at home to a baby girl who died.

"UMC is supposed to contact the union before they start laying off people," said David Peter, deputy director for the Service Employees International Union Local 1107. "The CNAs are being singled out as scapegoats."

Commissioners gave the nursing assistants a reprieve Tuesday and asked UMC executives to transfer as many as possible to other jobs. They requested a follow-up report at a date yet to be scheduled.

UMC chief executive Kathy Silver insisted that eliminating these jobs was a cost-cutting step that wasn't directly related to the emergency room troubles. Aside from laying off the nursing assistants, the hospital trimmed 12 management jobs for a total savings of $1.2 million.

Silver said nursing assistants were replaced with registered nurses in the emergency room. A rising number of emergency patients require acute care from trained professionals, she said.

Peter said hospital managers never should have allowed nursing assistants to give patients preliminary checks, known as triage.

Commissioners agreed that UMC officials should have met with union leaders before dishing out pink slips. But they split on whether the nurses' aides should be laid off.

Nurses need help doing chores such as stocking cabinets and emptying bedpans, Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said. "You expect RNs to do that?" she said .

Giunchigliani said the hospital's managers were rude to her when she was at UMC inquiring about the personnel changes. "If they're treating me like that as a commissioner, how are they treating the workers?" she said.

Her remark led to a heated exchange with Dr. Dale Carrison, head of emergency services.

"You were anti-management that day," Carrison said, grumbling that Giunchigliani used four-letter words.

Commissioner Larry Brown said the board should follow through with the layoffs to save money and improve emergency care. He also told his fellow commissioners to prepare for the tough task of laying off hundreds of county workers to help fill an estimated
$200 million shortfall.

"I think this is a foreshadowing of what we're going to go through in the next year," Brown said.

Commissioner Tom Collins echoed Brown's sentiments.

"Management has the right to lay off workers," Collins said. "We've all known as a board, there's going to be changes."

Commissioner Lawrence Weekly agreed that layoffs are inevitable. But he said UMC officials must treat workers and the commission with more respect before he supports their actions.

"I won't punch a green (go) button if I'm not comfortable with how it's done," Weekly said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.