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Health care workers at Kaleida deliver 10-day notice of informational picket

Kaleida Health
Posted at 1:06 PM, Aug 08, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-08 15:03:58-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Health care workers at Kaleida Health have delivered a 10-day notice to the Kaleida Health Administration for an informational picket that will be held on August 18, the union representing the workers announced.

The workers, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU), previously announced they would not extend their contract past the July 31 deadline following two previous extensions. The unions cited strong progress made in bargaining and the plan to meet five days a week with Kaleida to reach a fair contract as soon as possible.

The informational picket is planned to take place outside of Buffalo General Medical Center and Oishei Children’s Hospital to "call attention to the unacceptable working conditions for Kaleida’s staff and patients, and the dire need for a contract that will enable Kaleida to recruit and retain staff," a release says.

The workers are located at: Buffalo General Medical Center, Oishei Children’s Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, HighPointe on Michigan, DeGraff Medical Park, and various community-based clinics.

“This informational picket is an opportunity for workers who are exhausted from severe understaffing at the hospitals and nursing homes and concerned about their ability to provide quality care under the current conditions to speak out about what they are enduring. These long-standing issues are only growing worse, and during the picket, we will also call on the state to provide Kaleida with the financial support necessary to begin to solve their staffing crisis and to help keep skilled workers in Western New York. Kaleida workers across worksites are united in their demands, and we will not settle for anything less than safe staffing for our patients, fair and competitive wage increases, and dignity and respect on the job."
- Cori Gambini, CWA President Local 1168

Kaleida Health released the following statement Monday afternoon:

“This is certainly a right of theirs as part of negotiations; in fact, it is often a normal part of the collective bargaining process. Even if the informational picket occurs, it does not mean that negotiations have broken down. Talks remain cordial and we are joint problem solving.

“In March, we committed to three objectives as part of this contract: no concessions, plus addressing staffing and wages. We have not wavered from that commitment. As far as economic proposals, we have exchanged proposals but are still quite far apart. The unions’ initial proposal would cost us eight times (8x) of what we spent on the 2019 contract. We expect a revised proposal from the unions soon, which will allow us to continue to have productive negotiations.

“Our goal is to get back to the market lead and be the employer of choice. That means getting us to the recently signed Catholic Health System labor contract. That is the market standard right now. But the cost of doing that will be at least twice of what we spent for the contract in 2019. Considering our current financial condition and the enormous economic challenges in front of us, that’s problematic. All that said, we will continue negotiate in good faith until we can reach an agreement.”