SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — While University Hospitals stands firm in its decision to fire two pediatricians, hundreds of people have made it clear they disagree.
Doctors Lauren Beene and Valerie Fouts-Fowler were terminated from UH on June 24.
They say it was because they were trying to unionize:
RELATED: 2 University Hospitals pediatricians fired for sending unsolicited texts to other doctors
"This has been by far the most stressful point in my career," Beene said on Thursday.
UH CEO Cliff Megerian said Beene and Fouts-Fowler inappropriately downloaded nearly 5,000 healthcare workers' personal information for reasons other than direct patient care.
"It's a violation of at least five of our policies," Megerian said earlier this week. "They denied it. We found out they did, and as you can expect, that's what led to the issue."
Neither of the terminated doctors knew what policies they'd broken.
"I don't know what he's talking about. We have not been informed of that ourselves. I think the important thing really is that we're organizing a union to better patient care. That is all federally protected under the National Labor Relations Act. We are very careful, thoughtful people, and since we started doing this over a year ago, we've been very careful to make sure that we're doing this right," Beene said.
Beene and Fouts-Fowler said they're trying to unionize in hopes of negotiating a greater say in patient care.
Both physicians don't deny sending unsolicited texts to their colleagues, but they say they are confused how the same internal staff directory can be used for planning baby showers and fundraisers — but that a line is drawn in the sand when trying to unionize.
I emailed UH Vice President of Communications Michael Tobin for clarity about the policy that prohibits the use of staff data in the way that Beene and Fouts-Fowler described.
"We don't typically share internal policies," Tobin said.
I followed up with Tobin: "We're looking for clarity because right now it's a they said/they said situation. We're looking to better understand the policy UH says those two pediatricians broke as well as the procedure that follows (i.e. warning, suspension, termination). Not only does it help us better understand, but also, it helps the community better understand the situation."
Tobin said: "And, by your own reporting, they intend to sue. I don’t know that sharing internal policy documents adds clarity beyond what we’ve already said. UH began an investigation because of complaints from UH physicians about being sent unsolicited text messages. The investigation determined these two physicians went into a care coordination app, accessed the personal data of 4,000 colleagues, and repeatedly sent them unsolicited text messages that had nothing to do with care coordination."
I have yet to be sent copies of internal staff policies:
Beene and Fouts-Fowler continue fighting their terminations, and they appear to be gaining support.
On Friday, the pair organized a 90-minute demonstration on the sidewalks in front of the University Hospitals Management Services Center.
From the sky and from the ground, hundreds could be seen gathering with signs, chanting, "Reinstate the doctors!"
"This is tremendous. The support is overwhelming, and I think it’s really because what we’re fighting for is the right thing. Every doctor wants patient care to be improved, and nobody wants to be retaliated against for standing up for the patients," Fouts-Fowler said.
Although both doctors want their jobs back, they said the more important obstacle to address is improving patient care.
"We want our jobs back. We want our jobs back so that we can continue seeing our patients that we care very much for and so that we can continue leading the effort to union the physicians at University Hospitals to strengthen our voice and protect that voice so that other doctors aren't afraid to speak out and come together when they're concerned for issues relating to patient care," Beene said.
On July 2, UH sent News 5 a statement in which it said the pediatricians were not "being silenced."
UH leaders repeatedly sought to work together with the now-terminated physicians throughout their careers to address any concerns these physicians raised.
No one is being silenced. There is not one issue that UH leaders ducked, ignored, or did not seek to address with each physician involved. In fact, when these two physicians expressed concerns, UH leaders offered to meet with them in person. These physicians chose not to meet.
While UH stands firm in its decision to terminate the pair, Beene and Fouts-Fowler said it's nice to see how many people are backing the movement to reinstate them.
"I think that is what's keeping us so strong — the immense amount of support. I mean, hearing from our patients, hearing from communities, hearing from different union groups ... It's just unbelievable," Fouts-Fowler said.
The fight isn't over, they say.
Both doctors say they're planning more demonstrations and community events.
"We are Rainbow lifers. We love the institution. We love everything it stands for. We want to make sure that it continues to do that for the next 150 years," Beene said.
Previously, the union Beene and Fouts-Fowler belong to, Concerned UH Physicians, told me multiple legal actions were developing, but it didn't go into detail as to what those developments were.
Concerned UH Physicians says it does plan to file a charge against UH through the National Labor Relations Board, "on top of pursuing all viable remedies."
Additionally, 34 state leaders are asking UH to further investigate the termination:
RELATED: Why are dozens of state leaders calling for an investigation into the firing of 2 UH pediatricians?
The three representatives I spoke with told me they had yet to hear a response from UH as of Wednesday.
We'll continue to follow through.
