(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) - For the past nine months, Professional and Clinical Homecare Workers at the University of Rochester Medicine Homecare (URMHC) have been negotiating for a first union contract. 

The Caregivers are represented by 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East - the largest Health Care Workers Union in the country.

They provide Professional Home Care Services for pediatric and adult patients in Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Counties. 

The Professional Home Care Workers are employed as Registered Nurses, Child Life Specialists, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants, Dietitians, Licensed Practical Nurses, Medical Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Pediatric Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants and Speech Language Pathologists.

The URMHC Workers are the first and unique type of job category. 

Caregivers assist patients with the transition from the hospital back into their home and provide critical nursing care, physical, occupational, speech therapy, medical and social work services.

1199 SEIU Vice-President Tracey Harrison, who serves as Lead Negotiator, said “For quite some time there has been a nagging question regarding URMHC’s leadership experience and their ability to protect quality care for patients by retaining and recruiting Homecare Staff. Many Workers are asking why (200) Employees have left this organization within the last two years. Why has this employer brought in Staff with no health care experience to negotiate a contract for Professional Health Care Workers who provide critical care for patients daily? Workers need an experienced management team they can rely on. We strongly believe that it’s time for URMHC’s President to join contract talks in an effort to settle a first Union contract for Workers.”

Frustration among Home Care Workers demanding affordable health insurance coverage within their first contract is growing. 

“The agency changed our health insurance to a plan that costs over ($14,000) per year with premiums and high deductibles not including medications that could cost over ($1,000) per month - all with less than two-month notice,” Physical Therapist Assistant Tara Petersen said. “As Health Care Professionals, we thought we could always count on affordable, quality, health care which makes it hard to recruit and retain Workers.”

Homecare Workers say current patient caseloads Are Unreasonable - but URMHC prides itself on providing manageable caseloads to ensure quality care, yet remain at odds with Homecare Workers who say otherwise. 

High caseloads and job demands result in Workers leaving home care.

“Our caseloads are heavy and many times we travel many miles to get from home to home,” Physical Therapy Assistant Cynthia Lorenzetti said. “We all want to do best practice and give (100%) at each visit. We want to bring quality care to the patients we serve, but also need a better work life balance for all Clinicians.”

1199 SEIU filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Charge against URMHC, alleging they bargained in bad faith when they failed to return a counter proposal on outstanding economic issues with a Federal Mediator from Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) present at talks. 

This month, during contract talks, about 30 Professional and Clinical Homecare Workers from URMHC marched to President and CEO Greg Hutton’s office to deliver their petition with hundreds of signatures and a list of 14 outstanding economic issues they want settled, including: Affordable health insurance coverage for workers; Reasonable patient caseloads, wages, and more. 

URMHC currently has 26 job openings and has asked Workers to cover additional shifts to care for patients, Union Officials said. 

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Professional & Clinical Homecare Workers Serving 7 Upstate Counties Picket Today Over High Patient Caseloads and Costly Health Insurance