Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Members of CWA Local 1133 are voting to decide whether to authorize a strike against Catholic Health. The union says there are several issues, mainly staffing.
CWA Local 1133 President Jackie Ettipio says among staffing issues, one nurse is taking care of 8 to 10 paralyzed patients at a time, while emergency room nurses have 18 patients. "Respiratory nurses, instead of one, they're taking care of two floors, sometimes three," says Ettipio. "The hospital will tell you this is because of COVID but this is way before COVID. What COVID did was bring it into light, and the hospital has neglected to hire people."
Ettipio claims the hospital's recruiting effort is ridiculous. "If you need four people in respiratory, you don't put out two part-time jobs to people who are graduating from a school who have bills to pay. You put out four full-time jobs. They're not even making attempts to fill the spots," says Ettipio.
Ettipio adds she's getting calls from Kenmore Mercy Hospital. "They're working without lunches and breaks. They have the COVID patients, they're wearing heavy masks which are creating wounds, and the administration is not able to send someone up there" to relieve them.
Catholic Health issued this statement in response: "We strongly believe it is unconscionable that CWA Local 1133 is threatening to take Mercy Hospital associates on strike, particularly as Erie County hospitals like ours continue to care for increasing numbers of COVID patients while managing the ongoing medical and emergency needs on our community. We hope to settle these negotiations with CWA without delays or disputes, just as Catholic Health recently did with SEIU 1199 for three contracts at St. Joseph Campus, McAuley Residence and St. Catherine Labouré Health Care Center. Many Mercy Hospital associates have been quietly expressing frustration with their union's actions and rhetoric against their hospital. They are feeling pressured by union leaders and fear union retaliation for challenging its handling of negotiations and threatening to strike. Last week, Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, and Sisters of Charity Hospital/St. Joseph Campus filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the CWA for engaging in bad-faith and surface bargaining. The hospitals have been bargaining in good faith with the CWA since negotiations began in February 2021, presenting their initial economic proposals in June and July. The union has rejected several offers by the hospitals that would help recruit and retain staff to fill job vacancies within our hospitals. And with only three weeks remaining before the contracts expire, the union has yet to respond with any substantive counteroffers on wages or benefits."
Ettipio denies those allegations, saying the Catholic Health claim was a "second grade" tactic. "The day before they did that, they put out a video on pension, that was against the bargaining rules. When we asked them questions to verify they had done that, they said they were filing a complaint against us. None of this is true," says Ettipio. She also denies intimidation by the union toward workers. "I haven't had one complaint," says Ettipio.
Ettipio says if the union votes to strike, the hospital will have an agency to bring staffers in. She also says the health department would be involved. "I would hope they would come out and give us a ratio of what people can do," says Ettipio.
Voting continues until 8:30pm Thursday.
