Bargaining Update

Kaleida Health

Thousands of workers at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, N.Y., overwhelmingly voted in favor of authorizing a strike, should it be necessary. Nearly 6,300 union workers represented by CWA Local 1168 and 1199SEIU are fighting for wage increases, better staffing levels, and dignity and respect on the job. More than half of the workers are represented by CWA. The workers, who have already extended their contract twice, are exhausted and fed up with staffing shortages that have exponentially increased their patient loads and compromised the quality of care. They are seeking a fair contract that will enable Kaleida Health to recruit and retain critical staff needed for patients to receive the quality care they need and deserve. “A strike is the last thing we want. No one wants to walk off the job, but we are considering all of our options because we are seeing a decline in quality of care that must be reversed,” said Cori Gambini, a Registered Nurse and President of CWA Local 1168. Read more here.

Last week, workers at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, N.Y., overwhelmingly voted in favor of authorizing a strike should it be necessary.

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The Leaguers, Inc.

Workers at the Leaguers, Inc., members of CWA Local 1037, and supporters participated in a rally last week and attempted to deliver an open letter signed by more than a hundred parents asking management to negotiate a fair contract with the workers. Unfortunately, management dismissed both the parents and workers by refusing to meet or accept the letter. The Leaguers, Inc. is a multipurpose, non-profit, social services organization providing various services to the community including head start and early head start programs. CWA Local 1037 represents full-time and regular, part-time teachers, associate teachers, teaching assistants, family advocates, child care providers, home visitor specialists, nutrition specialists, food service workers, custodians, and other employees. 

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Verso Books

Workers at Verso Books U.S., members of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (TNG-CWA Local 32035), unanimously ratified their first contract after sixteen months of bargaining. In August, the workers rejected management’s initial offer and prepared to escalate their mobilization. The workers partially credit their win to the support they received from authors and readers. The contract, which is a first for the NewsGuild-CWA in book publishing, includes wage increases, a commitment to make special efforts to improve diversity of the workforce, a generous parental leave policy, a strengthened and more flexible sabbatical policy, and more. Read more here.