Protests against Pittsburgh hospital expansion highlight city’s growing racial health disparities

More than 100 activists and employees took turns speaking at a packed Pittsburgh City Council hearing Tuesday on the proposed $2 billion expansion of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the city’s Uptown neighborhood. They were there to demand that the health care giant agree to higher wages and unionization for workers before it moves forward with expansion.

Prior to the hearing, opponents of the plan marched to the city council building and held a rally, asking f...