(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – With an informational picket now scheduled for July 10th by the three Unions that combine to represent 7,200 Workers who are employed across the Kaleida Health Care System in Buffalo, negotiations are scheduled to resume Monday (July 1st) after a short break asked for by management that followed more than 50 bargaining sessions over the past four months.

A very large group of Union-represented Kaleida Workers rallied on Friday (June 28th) afternoon across the street from the Buffalo General Hospital and the Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo’s ever-expanding Downtown Medical Center to draw attention to the stretched-out talks that – so far – have not resulted in a new contract.

Representatives from the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168, 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East and International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 17 were joined by Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Richard Lipsitz, a bevy of representatives from other area Unions and a number of elected officials during the news conference.

1199 SEIU Vice President Jim Scordato (Pictured Below/WNYLaborToday.com Photo) told WNYLaborToday.com just before the start of the news conference that “the structure of the deal (with Kaleida) is the problem.”  “There are also staffing concerns and job security (is another concern).  We want to protect (our Members),” Scordato told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper.

CWA District 1 Area Director Deb Hayes (Pictured Below/WNYLaborToday.com) spoke at the news conference, telling all: “We are ‘so proud of the work our Members do every day.’  They ‘save lives and are there from birth to geriatric care to death.’  They are there to do the clerical work and ‘make sure’ there is a clean environment (inside Kaleida’s medical facilities).  ‘Everyone contributes to the high quality of care in these facilities.’”

But, Hayes said, there have been more than 50 bargaining sessions held between the Union Bargaining Team and management over the past four months. 

“All we want is a fair contract for all our Members,” Hayes said to a round of cheers from the assembled Workers as several Buffalo Fire Department Trucks blared their horns as they drove by the rally in a show of support of the Unionized Kaleida Workers seeking a new deal.

CWA Local 1168 President Cori Gambini (Pictured Below/WNYLaborToday.com) - whose Union Local represents the largest number of Kaleida Workers, 4,300, said: “Patients ‘are our purpose and that’s what we start with, but our Unions are our voice.’  We are ‘negotiating in good faith and we are fighting for enough staffing.’  ‘We love what we do and Kaleida is preventing us from doing our job.’  ‘We are being told to do the best we can do with what we have.’  ‘Is that what our patients deserve?’  Workplace injury and violence are (also important issues being addressed at the bargaining table).  ‘That’s why we are in this fight.’  Our patients ‘are front and center and we expect and deserve (respect) from Kaleida.’”

WNYALF President Lipsitz also spoke, saying: “Our Labor Organization’s (145) affiliated Unions combine to represent (140,000) Workers here in Western New York, and many Unions are here today in support of the Kaleida Workers.  ‘It’s simple: An injury to one is an injury to all.’  ‘There is no hesitation on our part to help and Kaleida Workers deserve our support.’”

At last report, Union Officials say there were more than 30 open issues still to be resolved during the bargaining process - blaming “management’s focus on cost savings” for derailing attention to address the “core issues” that Kaleida’s Union-represented Workers “expect to be addressed.”

Several Kaleida Employees also took the opportunity to speak at the news conference, including one - Buffalo General Hospital Registered Nurse (RN) Tamara Simpson, who angrily shouted that she “was ‘not getting what she needed to get (her) job done’” and Certified Medical Assistant Jen Hogue, who got teary-eyed while speaking to all in attendance.

“Our ‘goal is to get our patients better, but we have so much to do,’” said Hogue, who also works at Buffalo General Hospital.  “Most of the patients I work with are a ‘fall risk and you can’t (pick them up and help them move) all by yourself.’  ‘How can an organization (Kaleida) of this size not care about safe staffing?’”

Simpson said: “We ‘deserve’ staffing and a ‘fair’ contract.”

Jamel Gibbs, an Environmental Service Aide, also spoke, telling the crowd: “We are a ‘very important and integral part’ (of the Kaleida Health System).  ‘We are the front line of defense against infections.’  I have worked here for sixteen years – ‘we want to uplift the community and provide (job) security for our (fellow Workers).’”

Dietary Staffer Stacey Laudero spoke too, telling all: “We have thirteen vacant positions and we work two or three jobs in our department.  I have worked (45) days straight ‘without a day off.’  ‘Why?’  ‘Because we care about (our patients and our jobs).’  ‘We have some people who make less than ($11 an hour) and they have to work overtime to make ends meet.’”

Kaleida Health Chief of Staff Michael Hughes - who was quoted as praising Kaleida’s Union-represented Workforce as one of the reasons why Kaleida was enjoying such a profitable year in one of Buffalo’s local media outlets that was posted by a CWA Member on a Social Media site, issued the following statement after the Unions’ new conference ended: “We will continue to negotiate in good faith in an effort to reach agreement on a new contract that is fair and reasonable, allows us to invest in our workforce and positions the organization to continue to deliver the highest quality of care for our community well into the future.”