Buffalo, NY (WBEN) CWA Local 1168 and and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU) have given Kaleida Health a 10 day notice of an informational picket. The picket will take place August 18th outside Buffalo General Hospital and Oishei Children's Hospital.
The latest contract extension expired on July 31st. The unions say it has been ramping up talks with Kaleida. The unions say staffing is critical in many areas of Kaleida’s hospitals and nursing homes.
“We are doing everything we can to reach a fair settlement, but workers are upset with Kaleida’s economic proposals and they have a right to make their concerns public,” said Debbie Hayes, CWA Area Director.
“Over the last three years, healthcare workers have been fighting a global pandemic tirelessly all while being short-staffed,” said Jim Scordato, 1199SEIU Vice-President for WNY Hospitals. “After five months of bargaining, we need to educate the public on how difficult it has been for these union workers to secure a new contract. Our members have been working short-staffed far too long and in unacceptable working conditions,” said Scordato.
Kaleida Health issued this response:
“This is certainly a right of theirs as part of negotiations; in fact, it is often a normal part of the collective bargaining process. Even if the informational picket occurs, it does not mean that negotiations have broken down. Talks remain cordial and we are joint problem solving.
“In March, we committed to three objectives as part of this contract: no concessions, plus addressing staffing and wages. We have not wavered from that commitment. As far as economic proposals, we have exchanged proposals but are still quite far apart. The unions’ initial proposal would cost us eight times (8x) of what we spent on the 2019 contract. We expect a revised proposal from the unions soon, which will allow us to continue to have productive negotiations.
“Our goal is to get back to the market lead and be the employer of choice. That means getting us to the recently signed Catholic Health System labor contract. That is the market standard right now. But the cost of doing that will be at least twice of what we spent for the contract in 2019. Considering our current financial condition and the enormous economic challenges in front of us, that’s problematic. All that said, we will continue negotiate in good faith until we can reach an agreement.”