Family Pharmacy Update
Contract Violations, Kaleida Delays
It has been 6 months since Kaleida violated our contract by discontinuing the family pharmacy benefits that included set co-pays, in-facility options, discounts and convenience. The financial impacts that our members have faced, along with the inconvenience of switching pharmacies, shows a blatant disregard for the well-being of our members and respect for our contact. The family pharmacy grievance, filed on November 1, 2021, has been met with repeated denials from Kaleida that there was any wrongdoing. Most recently Kaleida denies that anyone is paying higher co-pays as a result of this benefit ending. Kaleida therefore claims there is no contractual violation. Stay tuned for future actions YOU can take to help ensure the integrity of our collective bargaining agreement and STOP Kaleida’s disregard for our contract.
Community Flyering
Rank and File members of our Union have been distributing flyers in our communities. This is one way to interact with our neighbors and make them aware that bargaining with Kaleida has begun. We are developing and strengthening relationships throughout our community and informing on what we believe constitutes a fair contract. Please contact Ann Converso, CWA 1168 Organizer, at 716-639-1168, to join a flyering event. Most events take less than an hour.
Clinical Safe Staffing Committees
Last year New York passed a law requiring hospitals to implement staffing ratios. Although positive, this is different from the safe staffing ratios of California or the safe staffing Catholic Health secured in their contract. New York’s law allows individual hospitals to come up with their own ratios for each unit. (This specific law does not cover long term care, nor many other ancillary departments.) To formulate these ratios, a committee of staff representatives from each unit will be meeting with administration to come up with plans for individual units. Additionally, if there is a disagreement between staff and management the CEO becomes the tie breaker. To be clear: this is different from the contract bargaining process and, although necessary, will not take away from our bargaining teams’ efforts to ensure staffing language for many more job titles than the law outlines within our next contract.
