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Faced with a pileup of expenses from the coronavirus pandemic, Stanford is cutting pay and forcing furloughs for some 14,000 healthcare workers, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Stanford said in a statement it is "navigating the unprecedented economic impact of COVID-19" and, to curb spending and avoid laying off workers, is asking employees to either take furlough days incrementally over a 10-week period or a 20% pay cut over 10 weeks. "At present, over 99% of all our employees have chosen to use the PTO option," Stanford said.

Many of these workers have been on the front lines of fighting the virus, and, according to the Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers West, the news was reportedly an unfortunate surprise to some. The union said workers were notified of the upcoming furloughs via email.

"We have been putting our lives on the line treating COVID-19 patients and Stanford Health is thanking us by cutting our pay and harming our families," Chuck Fonseca, a nursing assistant with SEIU UHW said in a statement. "We had no warning that this was coming and there was no discussion. They just sent us an email out of the blue - and most of us are in shock that they would treat us this way."

The union said while many employees make between $55,000 and $65,000 per year, Stanford Health Care's CEO makes over $3 million, and they would rather see their executive cover the cost of their furloughs in a pay cut down to about $2 million instead.

"There is no logical reason for Stanford Health to do this to their lower-paid workers who struggle to get by as it is, let alone take a 20-percent pay cut," Linda Cornell, a unit secretary, said in a statement Monday. "It's a total betrayal, and for most workers it's an eye-opener that shows how little management values those of us on the front lines of this pandemic."

The Mercury News reported Stanford has seen a significant drop in revenue with emergency room visits declining 40%.

"We anticipate that when the current shelter-in-place order is lifted, our patient volumes will return," Stanford said in a statement.

Stanford said the measures don't have any impact on operations and the health care system will "continue to provide the safest, highest quality care for our patients."

Bay City News contributed to this story.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.

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