ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – Another unionization effort is underway in Tompkins County.

On March 19, the Tompkins County Workers’ Center announced that clinicians and support staff at Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca intend to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA), after a supermajority of workers signed union authorization cards.

“Workers across healthcare industries are facing increasing pressure to meet the demands of insurance companies at the expense of client care,” said Calyx Steiner, a clinician with Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca. “Our choice to unionize reflects our belief that a new model for providing community-based mental health care is possible, without sacrificing the dignity and well-being of workers. We feel that sustainable working conditions will allow people to build long-term careers, meeting the needs of our community.”

Represented workers include clinicians, nurses, intake clinicians, behavioral health coordinators, facilities workers, outreach workers, and clinic administrative workers. The group is seeking voluntary recognition from management.

It follows recent organizing efforts for healthcare workers at Cayuga Medical Center and associated clinics.