Silver Cross Cuts Premiums For Non-Benefit Staff

NEW LENOX, IL — In October, several employees from Silver Cross Hospital reached out to Patch about a reduction in the non-benefited premium for employees. The hospital previously offered non-benefited positions in exchange for a higher rate of pay called a non-benefit premium, but stopped offering this program to new hires and new elections in 2019.

An employee told Patch that anyone who opted to participate in the non-benefit program would receive approximately a 25 percent bonus to their base pay.

In October, employees received a memo from the hospital stating that non-benefit staff would have its "non-benefit premium" cut from 25 percent to 15 percent by January 2022.

According to hospital documents obtained by Patch, the regular non-benefit premium is "uncommon in the Chicagoland market" and it's higher than what other organizations offer.

Since then, Patch has learned that Silver Cross held listening sessions with its staff, but is still reducing its non-benefit premium to 15 percent but doing so over the next four years, instead of the next two years. Over the next four years, employees who voluntarily do not take part in benefits offered by the hospital will see a 10 percentage point decrease in their take-home pay because the premium they received for not accepting benefits is being reduced.

In 2021, the premium will be reduced to 22.5 percent; in 2022, it will be reduced to 20 percent; in 2023, it will be reduced to 17.5 percent; and in 2024, it will be reduced to 15 percent. So, staff participating in this program would see a 10 percent cut in pay over the next 4 years.

Employees were also told that these cuts were made so that some entry-level positions could be paid more since some employees left to go work for the Amazon warehouse in Joliet.

According to the Amazon website, Amazon pays $15 an hour for all full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees and contractors.

"Months ago, we were heroes and upheld this organization through a global pandemic, now are treated as if we are disposable. Slashing the pay of front line workers to compete with an Amazon warehouse in Joliet," an employee at the hospital told Patch. The employee asked to remain anonymous.

"Everyone deserves to be paid a living wage," the employee said. "No one should have to choose between medical treatment, food, housing, education. These things should be available to everyone no matter how much money you make. The problem is when executives' pay isn't affected but clinical workers pay is."

Another employee who asked to remain anonymous told Patch that staff is already paid at a lower rate when compared to other hospitals. Employees told Patch there are hundreds of employees at the hospital who would be affected by this.

"I’m likely going to have to leave or take a second job in order to make ends meet Also the timing of this decision is ridiculous given how much we have been through with COVID," an employee said, again asking to remain anonymous. "We don’t get any hazard bonus or anything. They have furloughed people and laid people off due to COVID as well as significantly cut our hours when they needed to save money. They would cut our hours just enough so that we couldn’t claim unemployment."

Patch reached out via email to the hospital for a statement about the changes.

“This is a benefit change taking place during open enrollment. We don’t comment about compensation or benefits," the hospital said.