More Nurses Join Union at Cayuga Health, Winning Voluntary Union Recognition

ITHACA, N.Y. - Two more units of nurses have joined Cayuga United-CWA, winning union recognition at the Cayuga Health Surgicare clinic and Cayuga Cancer Center. The clinics are part of the Centralus Health system with Cayuga Medical Center (CMC). Registered nurses at CMC won union recognition earlier this month. The nurses are represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The nurses at Cayuga Cancer Center and Surgicare won voluntary recognition, a streamlined pathway to union recognition endorsed by the federal labor board that allows workers to sign union authorization cards to demonstrate their decision to form a union.

"When nurses join together, we can make a positive change for our patients and our profession," said April Mendez, Hematology and Oncology RN. "We have been inspired by our coworkers at CMC sticking together through a union-busting campaign and winning their election. And we are proud to win our union as well. Now, we're paving the way for the next group of healthcare workers by building the power to win a union."

Nurses began organizing because of deteriorating conditions that impact both their working conditions and patient care. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have seen increasing short staffing that can leave them caring for an unsustainable number of patients, compromising patient care and worker safety. Cayuga United-CWA represents more than 300 registered nurses at Cayuga Medical Center, 23 nurses at Cayuga Cancer Center, and 14 nurses at Cayuga Health Surgicare. The nurses will now be able to begin bargaining with management for a union contract that addresses their concerns and improves working conditions.

###

About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion