BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – As of Tuesday afternoon there are still no signs of an agreement being reached between Catholic Health and the union representing more than 2,200 employees at Mercy Hospital.
The two sides continued their negotiations Tuesday morning after a pause over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the strike continued outside Mercy Hospital. The union was joined Tuesday by a coalition of teachers unions locally and statewide.
“Shame on Catholic Health,” West Seneca teacher’s union president Joe Cantafio said into a megaphone surrounded by supporters. “You talk about heroes but you don’t treat them like heroes. Mercy Hospital is ono of the most important hospitals here in Western New York. If you’ve been here, you know the services you get from all the people here.”
Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore called for an audit into hospital leadership to see where they are spending the money.
The two sides remain at odds over a labor contract. The union continues to argue for increased wages, better nurse-to-patient ratios, and other hospital resources. Catholic Health has offered a wage increase of more than 4%.
During a late afternoon news briefing, CWA leadership described a day of productive bargaining talks and said the center issue remains staffing.
Catholic Health, in a statement, also described discussions as productive and said bargaining centered around difficult staffing issues.