BUFFALO, N.Y. —Catholic Health and union leaders are racing against the clock before contracts for 2,500 health care workers expire this month.
Catholic Health officials say negotiations with the Communications Workers of America continued throughout the weekend. They are trying to reach an agreement before current contracts at local hospitals run out on Sept. 30
The CWA says in the midst of a staffing crisis, Catholic Health is refusing to raise wages and wants to decrease retirement benefits.
Catholic Health says it's working harder than ever before to recruit new workers and accuses the CWA of pushing staffing ratios that could hurt hospital sustainability.
Earlier this month, more than 20 local, state and federal leaders signed a letter calling for Catholic Health to put forward a fair contract.
Catholic Health director of public relations JoAnn Cavanaugh released a statement on the negotiations on Sunday:
"With 11 days remaining before six contracts covering approximately 2,500 associates expire, Catholic Health hospitals worked through the weekend with CWA leaders to find common ground on several contract matters.
Union leaders, however, continue to signal they may lead Mercy Hospital associates on strike, a move 25 state and local politicians have said would be a “disaster” given the ongoing pandemic. The union is signaling the strike would be over staffing ratios and to protect patient care.
Introducing staffing ratios to the contract during a national labor shortage, as the union is proposing, will not create a competitive advantage for Catholic Health hospitals nor will it help recruit and retain nurses and other healthcare workers.
Union leaders have pointed to California’s experiment with mandated nurse-to-patient staffing ratios as a model. However, to comply with that law, California hospitals terminated clinical ancillary staff to make resources available to hire more registered nurses. We value the contributions of all associates within our care delivery teams. Therefore, we cannot agree to staffing ratio language in the contracts that would undermine our hospitals’ sustainability or force the hospitals to reallocate resources in a way that may erode job security for some associates.
To address staffing, our hospitals are working more closely than ever before with recruiters at all levels—locally, across our state and around the country. We are leading facility tours for prospective associates and conducting interviews in person and online. This national labor issue is affecting our region particularly hard, and our hospitals are tackling it with all the resources available to us.
Meanwhile, Catholic Health continues to receive top ratings and recognitions in the industry thanks to the quality care provided by all our associates. Hospitals in the system have been ranked as “Best Regional Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report and earned 5-star ratings from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Catholic Health also has the region’s most “A” grades for safety as categorized by The Leapfrog Group, the national standard for healthcare safety rankings."
Also issuing a statement on the negotiations was CWA Buffalo Area Director Debora Hayes:
“Catholic Health’s refusal to offer a fair contract, while paying executives millions of dollars, has pushed our system to the breaking point and will continue to jeopardize the health and well-being of our patients. At the heart of our contract negotiations is the need to provide quality patient care. Yet this cannot be possible if Catholic Health refuses to address the low wages and staffing shortages that are causing workers to quit each week. We need staffing ratios that ensure workers have the support they need and patients receive the care they deserve."
Ninety-seven percent of union representatives have voted to authorize a strike, if necessary.
