BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) A strike authorization vote at Kaleida does not mean a strike is imminent or will happen at all according to CWA Area Director
Debbie Hayes.
"In the healthcare environment, we are required to give ten days notice before we can go on strike. Members have given us the authorization to call a strike at a time when the bargaining committee thinks it is appropriate to do so. We have not given a ten days notice. Our intent right now is to get back to the bargaining table and get back to work," said Hayes.
There are a number of open issues. Some are close to being resolved. Others, such as staffing and economic issues, remain outstanding according to CWA Local 1168 and 1199 SEIU.
How does the strike option change the tone of negotiations? "what this does," said Hayes, "is let Kaleida Health know that our members are squarely behind the bargaining committee. They support the positions that the bargaining committee are advocating for. It should be a real wake-up call for Kaleida," she added.
For its part, a statement from Kaleida said the healthcare provider is continuing strike contingency planning. Part of that would involve the transfer of patients to Rochester, Erie, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Hayes was asked how the union balances that type of disruption with the needs of members.
"This is why we have to give ten days notice. The Department of Health comes in and monitors the employer's strike plan to make sure that they can care for their patients." Hayes added that every time she goes into bargaining, she starts negotiations by saying that she is there to get a contract. "Both CWA and 1199 SEIU are completely committed to getting a contract."
A strike would be more far reaching than the Catholic Health strike last October at Mercy Hospital. The Catholic Health negotiations had specific language that limited a strike to one hospital. At Kaleida, there are no such limitations. A strike could impact several facilities, including Buffalo General, Millard Suburban, DeGraff, and Oishei Children's hospitals, HighPointe on Michigan and a number of clinics that serve the community. Hayes said it would be incredibly more far reaching.
Labor analyst Art Wheaton of Cornell University is following the negotiations at a distance. "It's a bargaining process to try to see what you can get. It is not easy right now, especially when the employer is saying that since Covid started, they've lost around 200 million dollars. There is not a lot of extra money floating around and safe staffing levels require more funding to hire more nurses." Wheaton noting, "it's not an easy time in healthcare right now."
