KALEIDA HEALTH WORKERS VOTE TO JOIN CWA

On June 18th, Clinical Engineering employees at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, NY, won their union representation election to join CWA Local 1168.

A representation petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board in early March was delayed until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers stayed strong and public in their CWA support through an anti-union campaign which included the unjust termination of a committee member on the Friday before the election.

Local 1168 represents over two-hundred job titles at Kaleida Health’s locations including Buffalo General Medical Center, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Flint Road labs, DeGraff Hospital, as well as their many other off-sites across the community. These workers have been on their journey for many months to join Local 1168 through some of the most trying times and uncertainty with the functioning of the NLRB, and they're enthusiastic that they are now standing shoulder to shoulder with 4,000 other members of CWA at Kaleida Health.

Local 1168 organizers Ann Converso and Patrick Weisansal II, with the assistance of Dan Gniewicki, worked hard on this effort, alongside Lead Organizer Theresa Shaffer and District Organizing Coordinator Anne Luck-Deak. Special thanks to Mary Nowocien who assisted the local’s organizing team in the last few weeks leading up to the election. Support from 1168 Local President Cori Gambini was crucial, especially through all of the work that brought us to voting today. District 1 Counsel Amy Young also played a vital role in bringing this group of workers to a win.

CWA has became even stronger and there will only be more to come as we continue to organize to build our local’s power for workers’ rights and as advocates for the patients and the community we serve. Welcome to our newest members!