Story Bank

Diane Davis

Sewaren, NJ

I worked at The Hospital Center at Orange as a registered nurse from 1977 till 1998. Those were the best years of my nursing career. I left in 1998 only because of the financial difficulties that the hospital was experiencing.

During those difficult times we all endured and accepted no pay raises and frozen pensions in hopes that our hospital would recover from those financial difficulties. Unfortunately it did not so in 1998 our...

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Cynthia Lee Armstrong-Rullo

I was employed by the Hospital Center of Orange (formerly Orange Memorial Hospital) for almost 28 years before the hospital was purchased by Cathedral  Health Care Systems 1997-1998.  I continued working for the hospital for approximately 2 more years before being forced out.

Since then I have not been able to find another full time position and have been working part time as a school crossing guard.  I have also been...

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Stan Guzy

Haddon Heights, NJ

These companies have elected to give these employees retirement benefits, and they promised them retirement benefits.  Then after 6 months, 9 months, after they retire, they cut’em off.  The union takes them to court.  The court says, “You have to reinstate these benefits,” and the companies turn around and say, “Sue us, take us to court, we don’t care.  We don’t give a damn.  We’re just going to take them away.”...

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Tracey and Rosalie Eliades

Haverhill, MA

Tracey:  And I’m worried about what’s going to happen to my life in the future, and what kind of expenses I’m going to be running into, particularly if the healthcare coverage is reduced and taken away.  So that’s my big concern. 
I was in the hospital for an overnight, just in February, and the bill that I got for it was almost $11,000 (or $10,000 something).  Overnight!  You know -- through the emergency room...

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Jack Cohen

Yorktown Heights, NY

The choice was there:  Do I take Company A that’s going to provide me with a living wage, but no benefits?  Or do I take Company B that might not really match company A’s living wage, but I am going to have benefits. 

So then you reach the age where you’re getting closer to retirement, and you’re approached with another choice:  How about early retirement?  Early retirement.  Yeah, but what about my...

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