It wasn't a big gathering, but the group standing outside the JP Morgan Chase branch in downtown Youngstown couldn't have made themselves any clearer: they're tired of Forum Health's secured lenders and their demands for even greater concessions.
Tom Connelly, president of the AFSCME local at Trumbull Memorial Hospital said "we're not doing anymore," adding "the fact of the matter is that we've done plenty."
The protest follows the filing late last week by lenders, including Chase, of their own reorganization plans for Forum, which call for concessions even beyond those agreed to between Forum's unions and the Tennessee-based Ardent Health Services.
"What they have said is we want 100 percent of what we're entitled to," claiming lenders "don't care" about Forum or the community, said Becky Williams, of SEIU District 1199.
While the union leaders insist the motive for the lenders is simply greed, local politicians showed up to lend their support. ]
"In a bankruptcy, there is share sacrifice," said Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams.
But others said it's time to turn the tables on the lenders. State Rep. Bob Hagan, of Youngstown, suggested "that we start boycotting the use of those banks"
While union leaders aren't endorsing the boycott idea just yet, they're not making any promises something like that won't happen.
In the meantime, Forum representatives are saying only that while lenders have every right to file their own plans, others have every right to express their views about them.
