News

CWA 1133 Communications Vital Signs

March 2025 Vital Signs

Bargaining:

The 1st day of bargaining was on March 3rd! Please support your bargaining committee! Remember, your contract expires on June 30th, 2025.

Your Bargaining Committee:

MHB RN Bargaining Committee:

Jennifer Williams & Maureen Kryszak

Alternate: Lisa Golab

MHB STC Bargaining Committee:

Jeff Banks & Heather Strellrecht

Alternate: Ray Zygaj

KMH RN Bargaining Committee:

Vanessa Quinn & Gina Willett

Alternate: Dennis Protas

KMH Tech Bargaining Committee:

John Pirrone & Maria Robertson

Reminders & Updates:

  • Please check your pay if you know you're due for an anniversary raise or step increase, HR has claimed they will only go back 90 days, we did not agree to this.
  • Our next membership meeting is on March 12th. Please try to select one person from your department to come to these meetings and bring back info to the rest of your department.
  • If you are asked to speak to HR or a staffing clerk, do not do it without a union rep. You are always entitled to a union rep. For example: If you are being given a corrective action, please ask for union representation.
  • If you sign a waiver declining the union's presence at your meeting, even for something minor, it is more difficult to properly represent you in further meetings or corrective actions.
  • When giving a statement regarding a complaint or witness statement to your manager please also give or fax a copy to your union representative. There are times when management won’t give us a copy.
  • We will no longer respond to questions on the BMH and KMH Facebook group. It’s an out-of-date page. Please use the other Facebook group CWA Local 1133 Updates.
  • Members will be receiving a letter in the mail regarding a $4,000 AD&D union benefit at no cost through NILICO. This is legitimate, and you can designate a beneficiary for this policy. They offer other additional benefits which will be discussed in the letter. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Local.
  • If you have any questions about the union contract, please call the union hall.
  • If you are interested in communicating information to your unit regarding bargaining updates, please contact Bob Scime at the union hall 716-828-1133.

Mobilizing:

  • Bargaining with CHS begins today and we distributed stickers to support the bargaining team. Lead mobilizers are continuing to distribute red badge holders throughout the hospital. Please make sure to wear your badge holder every day to show our strength in numbers & unity as we begin bargaining our contract. Management needs to see that we stand behind our bargaining team. If you don't have any badge holders on your unit please contact Theresa Shaffer at 716-310-9352 or thshaffer@cwa-union.org.

Safe Staffing:

  • We filed another HUGE staffing complaint drop with Catholic Health and numerous other CWA facilities throughout NYS. These included instances when RNs, Aides, Techs, and other ancillary staff assisting with patient care were forced to work short, missed their breaks, had to cover someone else’s break, and when the Charge nurse had to take an assignment. These complaints are the most important way we get the DOH to pay attention and enforce the law that we fought so hard for. It’s a vital way to keep the pressure on and demand changes. In the meantime, PLEASE continue to file staffing complaints - this is crucial so that we have evidence of short staffing going into bargaining our contract.

Weingarten Rights & Union Representation:

  • Workers have an important right to "on-the-spot" representation in any situation involving actual or potential disciplinary action. It's something every steward and every member should know.
  • If a member is asked to report to the boss’s office. The boss fires off a question. The member asks: "Could this meeting lead to discipline?" The boss says, "Maybe." The member responds, "I want to see my steward before I answer!"
  • Legal? Yes! All union members can — and should — make this request if they’re being questioned by management about anything that could lead to disciplinary action. Bosses have no right to refuse.
  • REMEMBER YOUR RIGHTS!!!!!!

  • Not only that, but union representation MUST be offered.

    MHB RN- Article 21, MHC STC- Article 23, KMH RN- Article 21, KMH Tech- Article 22: Employee Access to Union Representation:

  • Section 1: When an investigative interview of an employee by an Employer/Hospital representative is to be conducted, the employee is entitled to and shall be offered union representation during such interview. The Union Representative shall be informed, prior to the start of the meeting, the nature of the interview.
  • Section 2: At any meeting between an employee and any representative(s) of the Employer/Hospital at which corrective action will be administered, union representation will be offered to the employee. The union will be advised in advance when corrective action will be administered at a scheduled meeting.

This update was brought to you by the Communications Committee:

Rebecca Aldrow, Jamie Banks, Kerri Diebold-Phillips, Kimberly Hayward, Brian Magner, Kevonna Neely, Larry Potts, Sharon Scime, Bonnie Shantz and Jennifer Williams.