WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: More than 100 Communications of America (CWA)-represented Health Care Workers protested outside Catholic Health Care Systems’ (CHS) Downtown Buffalo Headquarters on Tuesday (June 16th) over the swapping of important Union-represented jobs to a company-owned, Non-Union Call Center.  CWA Officials charge the Non-Union Workers are making a multitude of mistakes when dealing with CHS patients - and, unbelievably, are being instructed to “fix” their mistakes.  (WNYLaborToday.com Photos)

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Communications Workers of America (CWA) Officials in Buffalo are incensed over the Catholic Health System’s (CHS) decision to switch the jobs of at least 11 Union-represented Workers to their local Non-Union Call Center that is now responsible for issuing important patient information and pre-doctor visit instructions. 

What’s worse, CWA Officials charge, is that it is their Members who are being instructed by CHS to “fix countless mistakes” that are being made by the inexperienced Non-Union Workers, who they say are placing the health and safety of those patients and the Western New York Community in needless jeopardy.

More than 100 CWA Members protested the recent action taken by CHS outside the Health Care System’s Downtown Buffalo Headquarters late Tuesday (June 15th).

As those who protested shouted out in unison: “We Want Mark!,” CWA Officials attempted to personally deliver a letter to Catholic Health President Mark Sullivan that called for the company to cease and desist with their practice (pictured below). 

However, security guards stopped the CWA Representatives from making it into the front lobby of the building to deliver their letter (pictured above), which read: 

Catholic Health made the decision to eliminate Unionized positions at its Western New York facilities and to contract the work out to a Non-Union Catholic Health subsidiary.

Catholic Health Employees, including our Members at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Mercy Hospital of Buffalo and Sisters of Charity Hospital-St. Joseph Campus work hard to care for our patients in the Western New York Community.

When these Workers come to work every day, their goal is to provide the highest quality care possible.

CWA and all of our Members have devoted endless hours to negotiating job protections for ourselves and our Co-Workers in our Collective Bargaining Agreements, many of which have patient care as the focus.

Needless to say, CWA was dismayed to hear that Mercy Hospital announced the layoff of the Radiology Clerks in the Imaging Department because their work was being outsourced to a Non-Union company, CH Emmaus, Inc.

We were further distressed that Catholic Health refused to bargain with the Union over the effect of this action on our Members and that you unilaterally started to implement the layoffs of Radiology Clerks.

By moving the work Mercy Hospital Radiology Clerks do over to the Non-Union call center, it appears to be a clear attempt to outsource work and to attack our Union.

A decision that seems to be in complete contradiction to the Labor-Management relationship we worked so hard to develop over the past three years.

Since changes have been implemented, our Members have documented countless errors that Mercy Hospital members have had to take time to correct.

We have those errors documented and can show you the problems that these changes have created for Mercy’s Radiology Department.

CWA is demanding that Catholic Health immediately cease and desist the outsourcing of Union work to a Non-Union entity, that you meet with the Union and negotiate the terms of this consolidation/transfer of our work and that Catholic Health provide us with the information that we need to effectively represent our members.

We are ready, willing and able to meet at your earliest convenience to begin negotiations.

CWA Representatives charge CHS’s Non-Union Call Center Employees are “screwing up” a variety of dispensed basic information and directions, including the time when to take certain medications before surgeries to scheduling wrong dates and times to meet with their Physicians.

During a news conference (pictured below), CWA District 1 Area Director Deb Hayes (on the right), CWA Local 1133 President Jackie Ettipio (on the left) and CWA Local 1168 President Cori Gambini (in the middle) all spoke. 

They were joined by several of the impacted CWA Patient Access and Radiology Members - including Eileen McDonald (pictured below on the left) and Cheryl Darling (pictured below on the right), who addressed how their jobs are now being impacted by the CHS decision.

“(We’re) being told (by CHS) to ‘fix’ (the Non-Union Call Center’s Employees) ‘mistakes,’” said Darling - who’s worked at South Buffalo Mercy Hospital for 32 years in Patient Access and Radiology.  “The community ‘needs to know’ (what’s going on at CHS).  We’re ‘standing together for our patients.’  We want to let them know that ‘we’ are the ones ‘fixing their mistakes.’  ‘It’s unbelievable - we’re being asked to train them.’”

Added McDonald, a 40-year South Buffalo Mercy Hospital veteran: “Procedures ‘are not being followed and mistakes are being made’ at the call center.  “They’re ‘creating a lot of errors.’  ‘Now, we’re walking the patients through’ (the process).  Catholic Health ‘doesn’t care about us one bit.’  ‘This is heartbreaking’ (to take such public action), ‘but we had to do this’ to (educate) the community.  ‘It’s sad to see this happen.’”

CWA District Director Hayes: “Our Members worked during the (Coronavirus) Pandemic at St. Joe’s (Hospital).  ‘They were the backbone of that hospital.’  Now (CHS) ‘is closing’ that hospital and is ‘sending our Members to other facilities.’  It’s (CHS’s) ‘legal responsibility to bargain with (the CWA) when this has such an impact on our Members, but they have refused to do that.’  ‘This has got to stop.’”

CWA Local 1133 President Ettipio: “We are ‘fearful of losing even more’ jobs.  We were called ‘heroes’ (during the Coronavirus Pandemic).  ‘We came to work not knowing what our future held, if we would become ill.’  We ‘were promised’ PPP (Personal Protection Equipment by CHS) ‘and the Union had to fight that PPP - and now, we’re still fighting.’  ‘We need unity to fight for our Brothers and Sisters and Union-bargained jobs.’”

CWA Local 1168 President Gambini: “Here ‘we are - again.’  After (a contract dispute) in 2016, ‘we looked to build a relationship’ (with CHS).  ‘Now we have to stand up and fight again, but we will win.’  ‘All of us were terrified going to work during COVID, but we showed up - every day.’  ‘Now we’ve gone from heroes to zeros.’  ‘This should not be tolerated.’  Our Members ‘who are like angels sent from heaven feel like they are working in hell.’  We have (Employee duty transfer) language in our other contracts, but CHS ‘would not agree to it.’  ‘It’s B.S.’  ‘Well let me tell you, 2016 was a day in the park’ (compared to what may be coming).”

When asked what she would say to those who the community who might question why the Union was taking such action for a total of just 11 jobs, Ettipio told WNYLaborToday.com: “Because ‘they are our Brothers and Sisters and we all stand committed to each other.’”

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: For More On This Labor News Story, Read: CWA Publicly ‘Thanks’ Its Members At St. Joe’s Hospital In Suburban Buffalo ‘For All They’ve Done’ During The COVID-19 Pandemic As The Medical Facility Now Makes The Transition Into An Out-Patient & Ambulatory Care Center At www.wnylabortoday.com/news/2021/05/05/buffalo-and-western-new-york-labor-news/cwa-publicly-thanks-its-members-at-st.-joe-s-hospital-in-suburban-buffalo-for-all-they-ve-done-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-as-the-medical-facility-now-makes-the-transition-into-an-out-patient-ambulatory-care-center/