BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - With a strike looming at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo and workers set to walk off the job in less than 48 hours, negotiations continue and appear to be going down to the wire.
CWA Local 1133 Vice President Carrie Dilbert says the union and Catholic Health are putting in marathon bargaining sessions. "We're there for anywhere from 12 to 16 hours a day. There's been minimal progress in my opinion, and it's very disheartening," said Dilbert Wednesday morning.
The labor dispute is centered on wages and staffing. "The staffing issue is the most important issue, said Dilbert. "But we also have 40 year old workers making $17/hour and 25 year employees making $15/hour. It's contributing to poverty in our community."
CWA Local 1133 has given notice of its plans to strike at 6am Friday, October 1st.
Catholic Health announced Tuesday that ambulances are being diverted from
the Emergency Room at Mercy and there will not be any elective surgeries or Labor and Delivery services starting Wednesday.
"I think that's disgusting," said Dilbert, who is also a registered nurse at Mercy. "It's disgusting that Catholic Health cannot take care of their own employees, and their own patients, in their own community." Still, she remains hopeful that a deal can still be struck to avoid a strike.
If there isn't a deal, Dilbert said the plan is for Mercy workers to go out on strike. "We'll continue to negotiate and hope to God that Catholic Health will provide the resources they need to provide to care for the community."
The over 2,000 union members represent nurses, imaging and respiratory specialists, and other patient and general hospital support staff at Mercy, Kenmore Mercy, and St Joseph's campus of Sisters.
Why strike now, during a pandemic? "This would have come to a head, regardless of the Covid situation," said Dilbert. "If Mercy had proper staffing levels in 2018 or 19, we wouldn't be in this situation that we're in now. But the staff was lacking then and it's heightened the staffing crisis that we have now."
Catholic Health, in the meantime, is contracting with a professional services agency to provide registered nurses and other staff i nthe event of a strike at Mercy.
More pressure was put on Catholic Health to get a deal done Wednesday after
