LABOR
Hundreds of nurses at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in California are on strike after negotiations over their labor contract stalled.
The union representing 350 employees at Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in New Jersey has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, seeking an injunction against the hospital to stop what it alleges are illegal activities.
Bankers Behaving Badly: Last year, five of the nation’s big banks, including Chase and Bank of America, agreed to pay $25 billion to settle state and federal claims over questionable mortgage practices and promised to work harder to help borrowers who were in trouble. To prod the banks, the government said it would give them credits against the amounts they agreed to pay. So, to the ire of customers who couldn’t get banks to work with them before, banks are now forgiving debts that no longer exist.
HEALTH CARE
Starting this week, Medicare is basing hospital reimbursements on performance measures, with patient satisfaction determining 30 percent of the incentive payments and improved clinical outcomes deciding 70 percent.
