Catholic Health and the union representing its nurses and other workers had still not resumed negotiations as of Sunday evening, as the strike at Mercy Hospital continued for a third day and both sides accused the other of bad behavior.
The hospital system accused the Communication Workers of America of “verbal threats, intimidating actions and other inappropriate and possibly illegal behaviors” on the picket line.
Citing that and "an abundance of caution for the safety and security of its bargaining committee," Catholic Health said it would agree only to a virtual meeting, according to spokesperson JoAnn Cavanaugh, until the union could control its members on the picket line.
Debora Hayes, area director for CWA, said she was not aware of any threats or illegal actions on the picket line. But she noted that non-union workers that the hospital brought in to replace striking employees were crossing the picket line. "It's a picket line, it's not a welcome wagon," she said.
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TikTok video that was specifically cited by Catholic Health as evidence revealed striking workers angrily yelling at, cursing and otherwise verbally harassing the replacement workers with vulgarities as they disembarked from a bus and were escorted into the hospital. However, the two sides were separated by more than 15 feet of distance and a line of law enforcement or security guards that no one appeared to cross.
An array of other images cited by Catholic Health on social media showed striking workers picketing, but not harassing anyone else. But Catholic Health said it would be "collecting additional evidence and investigating claims of actions by individuals on CWA's strike line who may have violated federal, state and local hate crimes given the racial overtones of the activity targeting the replacement workers, many of who are people of color."
The union said its bargaining committee had convened at 10 a.m. Sunday in the Gateway Building, where the two sides had previously met, in the hopes that hospital officials would show up to negotiate, but they did not. However, Catholic Health said its bargaining team was on a video conference call at the same time, along with mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, but union officials did not participate despite having been invited.
Cavanaugh said the union had provided "little notice to Catholic Health’s bargaining committee since there had been no previous discussion about when the parties would resume negotiations." And Catholic Health demanded formal, written responses to the hospital system's proposal before it would meet in person.
But Hayes said a virtual meeting would be out of the question, given the complexity of the conversations that need to take place, and the need to pass documents and papers back and forth.
"We're here. We want to meet," she said.
News Staff Reporter Jonathan D. Epstein contributed to this report.
