SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — Some Bay Area health care workers on the front line dealing with COVID-19 patients just received noticed that they are about receive a major cut in pay.

KRON4’s Haaziq Madyun spoke to one hospital employee who says she can’t believe this is happening.

“We as workers risk our lives on a daily basis,” Stanford health care employee Linda Cornell said. “And this is how they repay us?”

This week, Stanford Health Care sent an email to its employees informing them that they are about to experience a major reduction in pay.

The email reads in part: “Due to the economic impact of COVID-19, rather than implementing layoffs, SHC is implementing the temporary workforce adjustment (TWA) program. This program is a 10-week program that’s created as part of our cost saving measures and initiatives.”

By temporary workforce adjustment they mean a 20% reduction in pay for Stanford Health Care employees like Linda Cornell.

“I work in the nursing station with the nurses in the nursing unit,” she said.

A job that she has had for the past 40 years. Her reaction when she read the email?

“I was shocked! Here we are the front line health care workers that are taking care of patients at Stanford and dealing with a pandemic on a front line basis and then they want to cut us by 20%,” she said.

According to the email, the pay cut will impact Stanford employees across the board.

“Some of the corporate staff are also taking cuts, but a cut to someone making $3 million a year doesn’t hurt them like a family making $50,000 a year,” she said.

Eligible employees also have the option of taking paid leave.

“And have staff take time off, that means they will be short staffed and that will affect the patient care,” Cornell said. “You’re not going to get the quality patient care that patients really deserve.”

The pay cuts are scheduled to begin next Monday, April 27.

KRON4 reached out to Stanford Health Care, but got no reply. An email from the CEO to employees reads in part:

“As we continue to navigate through uncertainty, I want to emphasize that we are in this together.”

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