Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Healthcare workers at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo have voted to authorize a strike if a contract cannot be reached.
"Although we represent workers at three facilities - Mercy Hospital, Kenmore Mercy, and Sisters of Charity Hospital-St. Joseph Campus - we can only strike at one facility," Debbie Hayes, Upstate Area Director for CWA told WBEN on Tuesday.
The targeted facility is Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo. It is the same hospital that CWA Local 1133 struck in 2021.
Hayes says there was an incredibly high turnout Monday at Mercy for the strike authorization vote. Over 90% of those who voted authorized a strike.
She explains how this does not mean a strike will occur.
"We have not made a decision to send a 10-day notice, or any determination on when we would send it. We are very committed to getting an agreement," Hayes said. "A strike is an absolute last resort."
The problem Hayes points out is that after six months of bargaining, there are 76 open contract items.
Some major hurdles are issues related to staffing.
Another issue at hand is an attendance policy. Hayes says if a worker is tardy by as little as two minutes, it can be counted as a full day of absence and can greatly affect staffing ratios.
Bargaining resumed at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
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