Optum Layoffs Spark Union Busting Claims at Brewster Laboratory

The union representing about 75 lab workers and related personnel at Optum’s Brewster laboratory accused the health care giant of “union busting” tactics last week after the employees were recently notified that they would soon be laid off.

Greg Speller, executive vice president for 1199SEIU, said that the sale of the lab, located on International Boulevard, to Quest Diagnostics was done rather than negotiate fairly with the workers.

“We believe that Optum’s sale of its Brewster laboratory to Quest is nothing more than union busting – motivated by the company’s desire to avoid its legal obligation to bargain in good faith,” Speller said as part of an Oct. 10 statement to The Examiner.

Optum’s Brewster site, which also includes couriers who make deliveries, was the first Optum office to unionize. However, on Sept. 30, they learned that they will lose their jobs starting this week.

The layoff process could last up to five months, but most employees are expected to leave sooner due to the uncertainty and upheaval surrounding Optum, according to one worker who spoke to The Examiner last week and whose final day was Monday.

“A lot of people don’t trust Optum right now to stay open as long as March as they have proposed, and according to the work that they’re seeing, there isn’t any work for them to be doing,” said the employee, Sarah Bocker, a medical technologist, one of the laid off workers after being employed by the company for eight-and-a-half years.

Also on Sept. 30, a message was sent by Optum President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jonathan Nasser and Chief Operating Officer for Optum Tri-State Alex Kordonsky informing staff of the transition of its laboratory testing to Quest Diagnostics.

“This decision aligns our core focus of medical care delivery with a diagnostic testing industry expert that can scale and meet our evolving needs,” the joint correspondence read.

“At our Optum Medical Care locations we will continue providing phlebotomy and point of care testing services. Drawing stations will remain operational for lab collection and specimen drop off, ensuring uninterrupted access. We have developed a detailed transition plan to safeguard against disruptions in care, diagnosis or treatment, and we will keep you updated on any changes impacting your workflow.”

The Examiner reached out to Optum late last week for a response to the allegations made by 1199SEIU and the employee’s comments. On Monday, a company spokesperson issued the following statement.

“We regularly evaluate our business so we can best meet the needs of our customers and patients and deliver on strategic priorities,” the statement read “As a result, we decided to transition our laboratory testing services to Quest Diagnostics – consistent with industry best practices. Both companies are committed to ensuring a smooth transition for team members and patients. It’s important to note we have exited other businesses this year, which were not represented by a union.”

Optum’s Brewster employees formally unionized last November, which Bocker said may have accelerated the demise of their jobs.

Discussions about joining 1199SEIU commenced about two years ago, which led to an election in March 2023 after the Brewster workers formally filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Bocker said.

The March 2023 attempt to unionize failed when it was a tie vote.

Leading up to that vote, the Brewster workers had repeated visits from individuals that were identified by Optum as the “People Team,” Bocker said. Part of their task was to meet with the employees and inform them of their rights, ask them questions and engage in conversation, she said.

“The People Team employees were very sketchy and they wouldn’t even give us their last names, they didn’t have badges as Optum employees, but they claimed to be Optum employees,” Bocker said. “They would hover around us in our work space asking us questions and basically trying to become our friends.”

The union filed again to take a vote last summer with the NLRB, which was held in November. It was approved overwhelmingly.

Bocker said after its notice of pending layoffs, Optum initially refused to consider paying the laid off workers any remaining personal time although the union and the corporation have been in negotiations.

Speller said that Optum has notified 1199SEIU that Quest refuses to retain any of the laid off lab staff despite many of the workers having years of experience. The new arrangement is also likely to affect patient care, Speller said.

“Sending specimens out of state for processing may delay time-sensitive lab results for Hudson Valley residents,” Speller stated. “The union believes that Optum, a multibillion-dollar corporation, is putting profits ahead of patient care – and that’s why their staff across the region are voting to join 1199SEIU.”

Optum’s Brewster site was the first of the corporation’s regional sites to unionize, followed by its Yorktown office earlier this year.