By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Direct care workers at the Cantalician Center for Learning in Buffalo voted in favor of forming a union.
About 80 direct care workers treat some of the most severe cases of mentally retarded and developmentally disabled people at the center's workshops and residential homes. They clean, cook, feed, bath and even change diapers for clients, making just over $7 an hour.
Jeanna Evans was the first too seek help from a union. She called on UNITE'S Disability Services Council. Evans says it's not about wages. She says they want respect from management for the difficult jobs they perform.
"I'm hoping we can move forward. We want management to respect us," Evans said. "The union was not formed for money, even though we knew it was one of the lowest paid agencies. We just want to care about our jobs again."
Workers, like Najja Addae, says there was also a concern for lack of job security. He says joining the union will offer employees a "say" in what happens in the workplace.
"This gives us some job security where seniority will count," Addae said. "It helps us feel we have a little power as a worker, that we won't be walked on, and that we count."
The vote was taken last Friday. An overwhelming majority over a majority of workers voted in favor of joining UNITE.
Cantalician Center executive director Sister Mary Patricia Tomasik says she did not want to comment on worker complaints.
Direct care workers say they hope management will cooperate. They must now form a committee and draft a contract, then meet with administrators. The workers say they hope Cantalician leaders accept their union membership as a business deal not only to improve their jobs, but better serve their clients.