CWA 1133 Communications Vital Signs

August 2025 Vital Signs

KENMORE RESIDUAL WINS ELECTION! PLEASE WELCOME THEM TO OUR CWA FAMILY:

• We are excited to announce that we are adding in 120 new Kenmore Residual Service and Clerical members to our CWA family. These titles include: Unit Clerks, SPD, Patient Access, Switchboard, EKG, Transport, Supply, OR Schedulers, PTAs and Medical Records. We are now even stronger with our power in numbers across CHS and united for a fair contract. If you see any of these folks, please give them a warm CWA welcome and congratulate them on a hard earned victory. 
• Management has agreed to include Kenmore Residual Workers in the current negotiations of the Master Agreement.

Mobilizing/Bargaining:

• Keychains are being passed around, if you have not received one, please reach out to your mobilizer. 
• We will be asking members who would like to give a testimonial to the bargaining committee and/or management. If you are interested, please fill out this quick form. Click here! 
• Please make sure you are watching out for bargaining updates, please scan the QR code on the back of the keychain! 
• Open bargaining sign-ups come out every 2 weeks, please look out for that too if you are interested.
• If you have anything red (please adhere to uniform policy), please wear it in support of the bargaining committee to work! 
• If you or your department have been given additional job duties, please write it up and ask to speak to the bargaining committee. 
• MERCY ONLY: In order to go on strike, a strike vote would need to be taken for the members at Mercy Hospital. Please note that a YES vote does not mean that Mercy Hospital would automatically go on strike, but it does give CWA the authority to threaten and/or call a strike. It also shows CHS that the members are united in standing together for a fair contract, even if Mercy never does go on strike. 

Lead Mobilizers for Kenmore: Cheryl Tumia RN 3E, Fred Rich RN 3E, Courtney Polasik RN MRU, Hannah May RN Float. 

Lead Mobilizers for Mercy: Bob Scime Radiology Support, Rebecca Aldrow Pharmacy Tech, Kerri Diebold-Phillips ED ITA, Cody Wagner RN CVICU, Lisa Golab RN Mother Baby, Matt O'Connell RN Stress Lab, Chanell Jones Central Supply, Andrea Gilmour ED ITA, Jenn Liberti RN Mother Baby, Lovei Martin CNA OLV, Brendon Moskal OR Tech, Dean Mesi Float Pool RN. 

Lead Mobilizer for St. Joes: Julianna Chapman RN Hall 4 

Bargaining Update Town Hall Call:

• Every Tuesday 8am & 8pm! 
• There will be an economic update. 
• Please get on the call for the latest bargaining and mobilizing updates. 
• Call in by dialing 1-646-931-3860 OR click here to get on via Zoom! 

Reminders & Updates:

• There will be no contractual increase in June until the contract is resolved, and retro will be negotiated.
• Please remember after 1 minute, you are late. Starting at 12 lates/ leave earlies, you get corrective action. If written warning, you cannot bid. Corrective actions are based on a rolling year NOT a calendar year!
• The next membership meeting is on September 11 a 4:30pm at the union hall. Please try to select one person from your department to come to these meetings and bring back info to the rest of your department. 
• 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. 
• 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

Article 50: Extended Sick Leave (ESL) Section 5 & 7:

• Section 5. An employee may use ESL for all scheduled workdays during the first seven (7) calendar days of any injury or illness for which the employee qualifies for and receives New York State Disability benefits. After seven (7) calendar days, payment of sick leave will be made in accordance with Section 8. below. 
• Section 7. An employee will be paid from their ESLB from their first day of absence when the employee does not qualify for New York State Disability or New York State Workers' Compensation payments but: 
  • a. is confined as an in-patient in a hospital; 
  • b. has outpatient surgery under anesthesia in a hospital surgical suite, free standing surgical center, or in a physician or dental office (excluding routine tooth extractions or dental work); 
  • c. suffers an injury or illness which requires treatment by a physician with a written statement verifying the injury or illness and circumstances physically issued by a physician within twenty-four (24) hours of the onset of such injury or illness (i.e., not back dated); or 
  • d. is sent home or is banned from working by their Employer/Hospital as the result of any contagious illness verified by a physician's note 
• If an employee who is otherwise eligible is not covered by any of the preceding conditions, sick leave will be paid at the rate of one (1) full sick leave day after the third day of absence through the employees' fifth day of absence, provided the disability time period is less than or equal to seven (7) calendar days.

Parades Coming Up:

• August 16 - Puerto Rican & Hispanic
• September 1 - Labor Day
• More information for each parade to come.

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.