New Contractor Means Lost Jobs, Lower Pay for State Hospital Workers

This is bullshit. If the new contractor were a private company, it would be bullshit, but for the taxpayer-supported University of Fucking Kentucky to pull this workers-are-subhuman-serfs stunt is inexcusable. The only point of forcing employees to apply for their own fucking jobs is to force them to accept lower pay.

Valerie Honeycutt-Spears at the Herald:

As many as 65 Eastern State Hospital employees will get layoff notices this week as the psychiatric hospital moves to its new $129 million Lexington campus, but most will be able to reapply for jobs at the new facility, officials said.

In January, Gov. Steve Beshear announced that University of Kentucky HealthCare would operate and manage the new Eastern State Hospital, which is scheduled to open in early September. From Aug. 15 through June 30, UK will be paid $34.7 million through a contract with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Thereafter, UK would be paid about $43 million annually.

The Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, now known as Bluegrass.org, has operated Eastern State Hospital since 1995.

You know goddamn well none of that money will be going to improve pay and benefits for people who do the absolute worst job on the planet: taking care of mentally ill and emotionally disturbed people.

Shame on you, UK. SHAME.