I’ve worked in food service assembly at UPMC Presbyterian for almost a year. I make less than $16 an hour, and even with five roommates, there’s not a lot left over at the end of the month. I just want to have some money in my pocket for once.

We need a $20-an-hour starting wage. Being short-staffed means I have to pick up extra tasks, including delivering trays. I even unknowingly walked into a covid room once. It was awful and scary.

I can’t even afford to be a patient in the hospital that I work in. I’m living paycheck to paycheck, and I can’t afford to be sick. I can’t afford to get hurt. I’m already $5,000 in medical debt to UPMC from when I had a bad fall a few years ago.

Now UPMC says it’s creating health savings accounts, meant to make health care more affordable for their lowest-paid employees. That’s rich, coming from an employer that sets wages at poverty levels, sets health insurance costs, is its own health care provider and puts its workers into medical debt to their own employer.

I’m tired of being called essential when I’m being treated as expendable. I’m tired of my low wages. I’m tired of eating ramen every night.

UPMC is supposed to be a center for care, health and healing, but all they do is line their pockets. We need a union so we can have a voice and have a say in how things are run.

Cameron Best

Larimer

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