Kaleida union to vote on contract
Members to decide on pact Wednesday
Members of a major union at Kaleida Health are scheduled to vote Wednesday on a tentative contract.
The workers are represented by 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. They belong to the seven bargaining units that rejected a tentative deal with Kaleida in November. Two other units voted to accept that deal. 1199 SEIU represents a total of 3,200 employees at Kaleida, including 1,700 at Women and Children’s Hospital. The bargaining units voting on Wednesday represent about 86 percent of 1199 SEIU’s membership at Kaleida.
Union officials said terms of the latest deal would not be released until members voted on it. Pension improvements have been the main sticking point between the two sides.
The votes will again be counted by each separate unit. Both the union’s 12-member negotiating committee and a larger bargaining council have strongly recommended that the members approve the deal, a departure from their stance before the November vote.
“We’re optimistic that members will like the settlement,” said Bruce Popper, a union vice president.
The deal to be voted on Jan. 7 was the product of a lengthy negotiating session on Dec. 23, with the help of a federal mediator. The workers who are voting have been without a contract since May 31.
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