PITTSBURGH - A federal lawsuit says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center used its power to pay workers less.
A class action lawsuit was filed Jan. 18 against the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) by plaintiff Victoria Ross on behalf of herself and all other similarly situated UPMC Skilled Healthcare Workers.
The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleges that UPMC violated antitrust laws by exploiting its monopoly power to suppress workers' wages and benefits, increase their workloads, and lock them into sub-competitive pay and working conditions.
The complaint accuses UPMC of implementing an overarching anticompetitive scheme to acquire and exploit monopoly power over hospital services and monopsony power over the employment of hospital workers.
It also states that UPMC's growth in the hospital output and labor input markets has largely been achieved through anticompetitive conduct, including a series of mergers and acquisitions aimed at expanding its market power.
UPMC is currently the largest private-sector employer in Pennsylvania with more than 95,000 workers. Over the past two decades, it has expanded its geographic reach and market concentration to comprise more than 40 hospitals located throughout Pennsylvania.
The plaintiff is represented by Daniel Levin and other lawyers at Levin Sedran & Berman, plus attorneys from Joseph Saveri Law Firm.