Update Regarding PTO Approval Changes

April 1, 2026

Today, Human Resources and Nursing Administration at Buffalo General Medical Center met with the union regarding our position that a unilateral change was made to PTO approvals for Period 2.
The union asserted that members were denied PTO based on an arbitrary limit management placed on the number of approved days, without regard to the minimum PTO calculations outlined and posted in Article 27, PTO Scheduling. This article speaks specifically to minimum PTO approvals on a weekly basis, not daily. 

At this time, CWA has requested that management provide details on the change, including what was done and the impact on members so that we can fully understand the changes they enacted.

We made clear that this is not only a violation of the contract, but also a violation of the National Labor Relations Act due to the unilateral nature of the change and a reinterpretation of long-standing language that has had a clear understanding up until this point.

The full scope of the issue is still being determined. 
Kaleida Health has committed to review the matter this week and identify the breadth of the impact as well as any necessary corrections that can be made. 

A follow up meeting is scheduled for Tuesday the 7th, in which we hope to have a positive resolution to this issue.

To be clear, at this point we are awaiting information from Kaleida Health so that we can identify how many union members are impacted and how this can be remedied if Kaledia Health is agreeable to our recommended solution. 

We will provide an update again by the end of the day on April 7th.

In Solidarity, 
The Executive Board of CWA Local 1168