Two local branches of the Service Employee Union International (SEIU) began the renegotiation process of their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with URochester and Strong Memorial Hospital as of Aug. 6. The current contract, which is now set to expire Sept. 26, covers more than 2,000 employees.
1199 SEIU, one of the two branches, represents employees of the Strong Memorial Hospital and Golisano Children’s hospital who work in a variety of fields, from nursing assistants and dietary workers to drivers and stockkeepers. The other branch, Local 200United, represents those employed at the University of Rochester, covering dining services to library stack attendants. The unions’ main goals are making sure their members receive a livable wage and addressing the staffing shortage.
To update union members on the proceedings, 1199 SEIU held a contract campaign kick-off event in the back parking lot of their Rochester office Aug. 29, a week before the contract’s initial expiration date. According to Tracey Harrison, vice-president of 1199’s Rochester-Corning district, and lead negotiator for both union branches of SEIU, the event served as “an opportunity for our members to come forward and tap into a lot of different resources that we are connected to.” These resources range from health insurance benefits to child-care, which union members can re-register for annually…