(WBEN Buffalo, NY) The strike at Mercy Hospital is in its second week and there is no sign of an agreement between CWA members and Catholic Health.
Catholic Health workers will hold an "open mic" on the picket line at 1 PM Sunday where they will share their personal stories and testimonials of battling the COVID-19 pandemic within their hospitals.
Dozens of workers have shared experiences of contracting the virus on the job due to scarcity of PPE, a lack of essential supplies to care for patients, and being thrown into situations where they were not fully trained for the work or had to care for an overwhelming number of patients due to Catholic Health's staffing crisis.
After both sides reported productive negotiating sessions last week, there has been no indication of where talks stand or if any sort of agreement is near.
Catholic Health Saturday tweeted it's latest $55.3 million four year deal it is proposing.
Photo Courtesy CWA
A "COVID HEROES WALL" will be unveiled at the event featuring photos that workers took of themselves during the height of the pandemic alongside their quotes and stories, and photos honoring colleagues who were lost due to COVID-19.
Picture courtesy of CWA
Saturday morning New York State Senator Jabari Brisport, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, Executive Director of the National Working Families Party Maurice Mitchell, and former Democratic candidate Zephyr Teachout all joined workers on the picket line outiside of Mercy Hospital.
