Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - "We're all out here for the community, for our patients, and hopefully they listen."
Healthcare workers represented by CWA Local 1168 and 1199SEIU took to the sidewalks outside Buffalo General Medical Center and Oishei Children's Hospital on Thursday to take part in an informational picket, as contract talks continue with Kaleida Health.
During the picket on Thursday, workers called attention to a number of different issues they'd like addressed in the next contract. Some of those issues being brought to the forefront includes declining working conditions in the hospital system created by severe understaffing, as well as the dire need for a competitive contract with increased wages, and guaranteed safe staffing to help recruit and retain staff.
"We were heroes when the pandemic started," said Katie Perna, Registered Nurse at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital on Thursday. "I just remember people banging pots and pans it's like, where did that support go? I'm so glad to see all these people out here today supporting us."
"It makes me scared for our patients inside that this many people are out here concerned about their working conditions," said Occupation Therapy Assistance at Highpoint on Michigan, Myriah Kin.
Contracts talks have been ongoing between both unions and Kaleida since March 16, while workers have been working without a contract with a collective bargaining agreement since Aug. 1. This after the original contract expired on May 31 with two separate extensions given for June and July.
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"Right now, we got a lot of stuff off the table, but we're still working very hard for staffing and our wage and benefit package," said Cori Gambini, President of the CWA Local 1168. "When it comes to wages and benefits, we're very far apart."
"As a member of the bargaining committee, I can tell you we are working hard to get a contract, and I can tell you that the main reason why we're out here today is for safe staffing. It's very important, and that's mainly what we're out here for," Perna said. "It's to get the community on board, so they can see that we understand, we know that we need safe staffing."
While there is no timeline in which a contract would like to get done, bargaining will resume on Friday when both sides will continue to address staffing and wage proposals.
However, healthcare workers did say that come this upcoming Monday, if negotiations continue to remain as they have been, a strike vote will be held to determine whether or not to actually go on strike.
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It was only months ago that healthcare workers with Catholic Health went on strike when their contract with hospitals expired. After a five-week strike that turned ugly, at times, a deal was struck and workers eventually returned to the hospitals.
Workers certainly are hopeful that negotiations will not sour and get as ugly as they did with healthcare workers and Catholic Health.
"We're very worried about that. This is our livelihood, we all need to work," said Registered Nurse at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Debbie Wilson. "We're living paycheck-to-paycheck and we don't want to be out here. But this is what's got to be done."
"We're certainly bargaining in good faith, and looking to bargain five days a week," added Psychologist with Oishei Children's Hospital, Nathan Diegelman. "The goal is to get a contract that our members will ratify, and that addresses the issues that we have. Through some of the safe Staffing Legislation, it talked about positions needing to be added, and both sides agree that there are positions that need to be added. And now the state, as well, we're looking for them also to step up and be a partner and helping with that endeavor."
For many of the people on the picket lines on Thursday, they understand how important it was to get out and have their voices heard.
"Really what a lot of this is about, it's about us, but it's also about the community," Diegelman said. "COVID really hit everybody pretty hard. It hit up a lot of our staff hard, personally, we [also] had a lot of retirements. What COVID did is it brought to the forefront a lot of issues that were already there. We knew that Kaleida's finances haven't always been the best, staffing hasn't always been the best. But this time, we realized we really can't keep doing things the same way that we've been doing them."
While staffing was a substantial concern among many of the workers that were on the picket line, wages for workers were also brought up, but not just for improved wages among current workers.
"We need to get wages that are comparable, so people want to go into these kind of fields," Kin said. "We're making as much as someone that works in a pizzeria. Why would you do the work that we do?"
"We need retention, we need nurses to not leave, and we need to recruit nurses to the bedside," Perna added. "We need to bring people into nursing schools and other medical professions to get people in the buildings working."
In addition to members of the CWA Local 1168 and 1199SEIU picketing on Thursday, members from other local unions were on-hand to support the cause. Some of those groups included members from United Auto Workers, United Steelworkers, Buffalo Teachers Federation and even Starbucks Workers United.
Also on-hand for Thursday's picket included a number of local elected officials, including Congressman Brian Higgins, State Senator Sean Ryan, and State Assemblymembers Monica Wallace, Jon Rivera, Bill Conrad and Karen McMahon
"We're a labor town, and we support each other's battles. We always have," Gambini said of the support. "As I walked the line the first hour we were here, the majority of the people that are here are our members. Then other people have sent people from their unions to support us."
Thursday's informational picket comes a week after union leaders met with state and local elected officials to discuss solutions to the staffing crisis facing Kaleida Health. Union leaders and members called upon the state to provide financial support for Kaleida to hire the 436 staff necessary to meet the state’s Staffing Law.
More from Thursday's informational picket is available in the player below: