Published: July 08, 2006 08:39 pm      

Workers picket for parity

NEWFANE: Inter-Community Hospital workers hold informational picket over their pay and benefits.

NEWFANE — Workers at the Inter-Community Hospital want comparable pay and benefits with workers at the Lockport Memorial Hospital.

About 35 members of the 1199 Service Employees International Union and family members had an informational picket in front of the 71-bed facility on Lockport-Olcott Road on Saturday. They carried signs and encouraged supporters to honk their horns. Many drivers did.

“These are the lowest paid workers in this area,” said Michelle Marto, a spokesman for the SEIU. “This is a big issue. It makes no sense. They have same CEO. It’s

mystifying.”

Clare Harr, the chief executive officer of the Eastern Niagara Health System that operates both Lockport Memorial Hospital and the Newfane hospital, was the target of several signs and gripes.

Signs read: “Clare is a Pirate; Honk if you agree, keep quality health care alive; Quality people, quality care; Even Luke would puke on this contract, (4-month old Luke Bisher attended with his father); Hell no, we won’t go without a contract for health care; I’ll bet Clare and her crew got their raises.”

According to union officials, Harr’s pay went from $127,000 in 1999 to $162,000 in 2004, and she is making more now. A licensed practical nurse at Newfane makes $15.55 an hour after 10 years.

“Clare doesn’t want to give us a raise,” said Jeri Taylor, an licensed practical nurse from Olcott. “She wants to keep us down. She’s already had her raise, compared to our pittance here, and she doesn’t want to give us anything for our health care.”

The SEIU United Healthcare Workers represents LPNs, housekeepers, maintenance workers, kitchen workers and nursing assistants. Newfane’s contract expired April 1. Registered nurses have a different union and have a contract.

“We’re picketing because the last time we met, on Wednesday, they wouldn’t talk to us anymore,” Taylor said. “They say we’re being unreasonable, trying to bankrupt the hospital.”

The next negotiating meeting is Tuesday at the hospital.

“If we took what we got right now, the workers would blow us out of our positions. We have to get the health care issue straightened out,” union official Jim Crampton said. “They have hometown folks, who are home-gown health professionals in their home own hospital. It makes good sense.”

According to the pickets, Newfane workers get from 73 percent to 78 percent of their health care paid for by the hospital. Lockport gets 90 percent to 95 percent.

“She (Harr) uses the excuse we don’t get the same kind of patients Lockport does. Yes, we do,” Taylor said. “We get them in the emergency room. We get them coming in from accidents. We get them from heart attacks. Just like Lockport does. Everybody does the same thing Lockport does. Why not equal pay?”

“When Lockport went on strike, this little hospital took all of Lockport’s patients.”

The workers complain that there’s a lot of short staffing going on at Inter-Community.

“We’re dollars away from what Lockport employees make,” said admissions clerk Debby Newton of Newfane. “Maybe we shouldn’t make as much, but it should be more comparable because we do a lot of Lockport’s work. We’re full almost all the time.”

According to Marto, the Inter-Community has wherewithal to pay decent benefits.

In February, Haar reported the two hospital’s consolidation of services has led to a yearly savings of $1.8 million.

The bargaining committee wants to raise salaries for positions from entry level to senior staff in order to encourage recruitment and retention effort.

Contact Bill Wolcott at (716) 439-9222, Ext. 6246.