Corporate consolidation erodes the power, voice and working conditions of employees who care for our beloved pets.
Last month, Montclair Veterinary Hospital in Oakland closed without warning, leaving veterinary professionals suddenly unemployed and clients scrambling to find care for their pets. The sudden closure must be blamed on the clinic’s corporate owner, Thrive Pet Healthcare, which said operating the practice “was no longer sustainable.”,” yet their decisions seem to be based only on boosting investors’ profits.
Veterinary employees are pushing back and asking for a say in decisions at their facilities. Earlier this year, the employees of Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Services in Rochester, N.Y., organized after the company was purchased by Thrive. The workers acted after Thrive limited overnight emergency care at the practice, while curtailing time off and compensation for employees. Workers could no longer provide the level of care they wanted for their clients and patients.
While closures are sometimes necessary, they are disruptive and not conducive to quality care for patients, clients or employees. Unionized practices cannot be shut down overnight without notice, as happened at Montclair. The time needed for legal notification of workers allows clients to be notified that the facility is closing and to make other arrangements for care.
Why should pet owners care about corporate-consolidator ownership of their local veterinary practice? Because money spent in those practices doesn’t stay in their community — it lines the pockets of venture investors. Because of their college loans, veterinarians have one of the highest debt-to-income ratios of any profession. Registered veterinary technicians are often paid at or below the poverty line, as are veterinary assistants and customer-service team members.
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