SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania filed a complaint with the U.S. DOJ urging federal prosecutors to investigate whether University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) employs monopolization, monopsony, and job and wage suppression in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The complaint states that UPMC is the 18th largest healthcare system in the United States and the largest private sector employer in Pennsylvania, “with annual revenue of $26 billion.”
The New York Times adds, “whether the Justice Department will pursue action against the health system remains to be seen. While federal regulators may appear sympathetic to the theory underlying the unions’ complaint, these cases are challenging. ‘Monopsony cases are not new, but they are very hard to prove,’ said Matthew L. Cantor, an antitrust lawyer and partner at Constantine Cannon.”