Nurses and healthcare workers from Fresenius Kidney Care in New York approved a possible strike this week, according to a news release.
The workers, represented by the New York State Nurses Association and 1199SEIU, voted to authorize the walkout following pickets at Fresenius locations in the New York City metro area, the unions said. The vote gives union leaders the ability to call a strike if they so choose. Ultimately, the workers are calling for "a fair contract that protects both employees and patients."
"Both the New York State Nurses Association and 1199SEIU have been negotiating in good faith with Fresenius for over two years, but Fresenius has continued to ignore the calls for a fair contract by its employees," the release reads.
According to the release, the New York State Nurses Association has also filed unfair labor practice charges against Fresenius with the National Labor Relations Board "in its pursuit to hold Fresenius accountable for its bad faith bargaining and unlawful attempts to make a site non-union."
But in an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review, Fresenius spokesperson Jon Stone denies the claims.
"Through our good faith negotiations over the past two-plus years with 1199 SEIU and NYSNA, which are the union representatives of employees at certain of our dialysis clinics in New York City, we have extended equitable contract offers, including maintaining certain union health and pension funds for employees," he said. "Regardless, for a period of many months, the union representatives of our employees delayed meeting with us and failed to respond to our proposals. Engaging with one another in constructive two-way dialogue is the path to move forward in creating a final settlement."