“It wasn’t a propaganda meeting,”¬ù said Aldermanic President Carl Goldfield, explaining why he met privately with Yale-New Haven Hospital administration after asking board members not to do so.
In the wake of the breakdown of a labor peace agreement that the city helped broker between the hospital and 1,800 of its blue-collar workers, Goldfield had at first insisted on transparency.
YNHH President/CEO Marna Borgstrom should come before the board in a public hearing and explain why, according to a neutral arbitrator, the hospital broke the agreement and federal law, Goldfield reasoned.
When, in an apparent attempt to duck the public grilling, hospital administration arranged to meet privately with small groups of aldermen, Goldfield said “no.”¬ù He issued a letter asking aldermen not to meet privately with the hospital, to insure a more “open and transparent” process.
Last week, when Borgstrom declined the invitation to attend the public hearing, Goldfield had his own private meeting with her and the mayor at the New Haven Lawn Club. Others at the meeting included U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and hospital board members including New Haven Register Publisher Kevin Walsh. (Click here to read about the background to that meeting.)
He said this private meeting was different than the ones he had condemned “” “Because that was a session set up by the hospital to spin us. This [meeting] was set up by the mayor.”¬ù
The meeting “wasn’t a propaganda meeting from the hospital,”¬ù said Goldfield, raising his voice in frustration. The meeting was “us explaining our position to them.”¬ù
Hill Alderwoman Andrea Jackson-Brooks — who never had a problem meeting with hospital administration because she considered it to be a routine appointment where she could discuss matters other than the labor struggle — said she is puzzled at Goldfield’s explanation.
“So the mayor called it, it was OK, but if the hospital called it, it wasn’t? Interesting,”¬ù said Jackson-Brooks. “If you have to have some rationalization for your behavior, I guess that’s what you say.”
“His meeting privately is in direct conflict with his letter,” responded Alderman Al Paolillo Jr.
Alderman Alex Rhodeen said he saw no problem in Goldfield attending the meeting.
Goldfield said he still plans to bring Borgstrom in front of the board in a public setting after an arbitrator finishes ruling on roughly 200 complaints related to the union campaign at the hospital.
“I still intend for her to come to the board and tell the board what happened.”¬ù