California | November 14, 2021
Kaiser Permanente, Workers Reach Tentative Deal to Avoid Strike
California | November 14, 2021
A tentative deal was reached Nov. 13 between Kaiser Permanente and union leaders that will prevent a strike by thousands of nurses and other health care workers who were planning to hit the picket line Nov. 15 at Kaiser facilities across Southern California and beyond.
Kaiser and the Alliance of Health Care Unions agreed on a four-year contract covering nearly 50,000 health care employees in 22 local unions, according to union spokesman Jeff Rogers.
“The Alliance of Health Care Unions fought to preserve a Kaiser Permanente where patients can count on excellent patient care and service. This has guided our work for 24 years. This agreement will mean patients will continue to receive the best care, and Alliance members will have the best jobs,” said Hal Ruddick, executive director of the alliance. “This contract protects our patients, provides safe staffing, and guarantees fair wages and benefits for every Alliance member.”.. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
District of Columbia | October 21, 2021
Federal employees can submit claims for ‘adverse reactions’ to vaccine
District of Columbia | October 21, 2021
Government workers can file compensation claims should they have an “adverse reaction” to the COVID-19 vaccine or are hurt while getting vaccinated, according to the Department of Labor. A Federal Employees’ Compensation Act bulletin clarifies that, while preventive measures such as inoculations don’t typically fall within the scope of claims because the Biden administration has mandated the vaccine as a requisite for most government employees, those who receive the shot after the mandate was announced “may be afforded coverage under the FECA for any adverse reactions to the vaccine itself, and for any injuries sustained while obtaining the vaccination.”Examples of injuries sustained while getting the vaccine include accidents while traveling to and from the vaccination site or if the employee slips and falls in the process of getting the shot at the vaccination site…. (Excerpts from the Washington Examiner)
Pennsylvania | October 20, 2021
Pennsylvania Hospital System Mitigates Worker Shortage With Bonuses, Vaccine Deferrals
Pennsylvania | October 20, 2021
As a worker shortage plagues most businesses, St. Luke’s University Health Network is using several strategies to mitigate employee loss, including how it administers the federal vaccine mandate, and large sign-on bonuses for new workers.
St. Luke’s operates 12 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The health system recently issued a press release announcing that it has achieved its vaccine mandate goal.
Natural immunity and health impacts have been considered at St. Luke’s University Health Network as it navigates President Joe Biden’s employee vaccine mandate requiring vaccination or termination.
While some companies are only now announcing vaccine policies, St. Luke’s announced a vaccine mandate on Aug. 9, requiring that all employees without exemptions or deferrals be vaccinated by Sept. 25. Ultimately 668 workers skipped the vaccine, receiving exemptions or deferrals from St. Luke’s….. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
International | September 27, 2021
WHO seeks to revive stalled inquiry into origins of Covid-19 with new team
International | September 27, 2021
The World Health Organization is reviving its stalled investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 virus as agency officials warn that time is running out to determine how the pandemic that has killed more than 4.7 million people worldwide began. A new team of about 20 scientists—including specialists in laboratory safety and biosecurity and geneticists and animal-disease experts versed in how viruses spillover from nature—is being assembled with a mandate to hunt for new evidence in China and elsewhere. China has resisted the probe, arguing that any new inquiry should focus on other countries, including the U.S….(Excerpts from Fox Business)
International | September 27, 2021
Life expectancy of American men fell by two years amid pandemic: study
International | September 27, 2021
Texas | September 26, 2021
Texas Hospital CEO Warns It May Stop Delivering Babies Over Biden Vaccine Mandate
Texas | September 26, 2021
The head of the Goodall-Witcher hospital in rural Texas expressed concerns that the facility may have to stop delivering babies due to a recent vaccine mandate handed down by the Biden administration stipulating that healthcare workers at Medicare- and Medicaid-funded hospitals get the vaccine.
Adam Willmann, the CEO, said that some experienced nurses are not vaccinated and don’t plan on getting the shot. Some of the nurses, he suggested, work in the hospital’s maternity ward.
“They are also near retirement age and a few of them have already voiced that, ‘I will just retire,’” Willmann told NPR. “And then a couple other nurses said, ‘Well, I’ll just go work for my husband’s construction company.’”
Willmann said he has been pushing hard to get all of his 250 employees to take one of the vaccines, noting that so far, vaccination rates are at around 70 percent.
Despite mandates, “We’re kind of at that point where everybody… (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)