BUFFALO, N.Y. — CWA members and union negotiators held a news conference Sunday evening to address statements made by Catholic Health.
A Catholic Health spokesperson on Saturday claimed the union has had "no sense of urgency" to get its members back to work. That spokesperson, JoAnn Cavanaugh added that on Friday Catholic Health renewed its deal with the replacement worker agency Huffmaster to keep Mercy Hospital running.
Union leadership said those claims are false, and that they are closer to a deal than they were when the strike started.
"We have been at the bargaining table every day except once since the strike started," CWA area director Debora Hayes said Sunday. "We're working through the weekend and we remain ready, willing, and able to negotiate."
"We had a good week this week. It was slow because some of the proposals the hospital gave us early on were not thought through. One of those proposals was on a new pharmacy program," added Hayes.
The main reasons a deal has not been made with Catholic Health according to Hayes, are the lack of agreement on staffing ratios, health insurance, and wages.
"Catholic Health shares the sentiments of our community, patients, and families – we want our associates back at Mercy Hospital," Catholic Health spokeswoman JoAnn Cavanaugh said in a statement. "The longer the strike goes on, however, we will need to consider all of our options."
Catholic Health said nearly 50 hospital nurses have resigned since the strike began, including more than a dozen in the intensive care unit.