What the Pittsburgh Media Won’t Tell You
UPMC is SW Pennsylvania’s largest employer, property owner, health care provider, and charity. Its charity status and tax exemption are controversial. Tempers rage. There is a solution, but few people know what that is. Legal stunts obstruct the process.
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is a massive nonprofit, tax-exempt corporate conglomerate which operates dozens of hospitals, other medical facilities, foundations, and health insurance services, primarily in the southwestern Pennsylvania region. With more than 55,000 employees, it owns $1.6 billion of tax-free real estate, and contributes $billions$ to the region’s economy. If UPMC was classified as a for-profit bundle of corporations, it would be a Fortune 500 enterprise.
The Debate
During the past several years, UPMC has been entangled in several disputes:
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· UPMC refuses to extend its contracts with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, its chief insurance competitor. Lawsuits, court rulings, and nasty TV commercials flow back and forth.
· The City of Pittsburgh and several community organizations intensely question its “charitable” status. More lawsuits and court rulings.
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· UPMC wages for its non-professional staff are too low to support a family. Just like Walmart.
· UPMC employees have been trying to organize a union for nearly two years. In October 2013, the National Labor Relations Board charged UPMC with 19 violations of union organizing laws. That speaks volumes about UPMC management’s values and respect for justice. Just like Walmart.
UPMC consistently circles the wagons and refuses to cooperate with anyone. Just like Walmart.
Pittsburgh vs. UPMC
The City of Pittsburgh recently sued UPMC, claiming that the medical behemoth does not meet the legal definition of a charity, and thus owes the city big bucks in past due employee payroll taxes. UPMC countered that it can’t owe any money because it has no employees, and counter-sued the city.
That threw the public into a raging tizzy. How can the region’s largest employer, an entity that brags about its employees’ accomplishments, claim in court that it has no employees? It’s a simple answer, and a great move, legally.
Read More ….
http://voices.yahoo.com/pennsylvania-solve-upmc-charity-status-debate-12456189.html?cat=48
