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After months of delays, local veterinary union begins contract talks

Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Service business sign.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Service at 825 White Spruce Blvd., across from the Monroe Community College campus.

Nearly a year after they voted to join a union, employees at a local animal hospital were scheduled to begin negotiating their first contract on Monday.

Roughly 140 assistants and technicians at Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services in Brighton are pushing for higher pay and improved working conditions.

They made history in January as one of the few groups of veterinary professionals in the U.S. to organize when they agreed to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.

Following months of unfair labor practice charges and accusations against parent company Thrive Pet Health Care of stalling tactics, union members are now cautiously optimistic that the company will bargain in good faith.

"I'm still skeptical that they're going to actually not still draw it out. I mean, my hopes are high; my expectations are low," said Tara McGrain, a member of the VSES employee negotiating team.

Staffing shortages, which haveplagued veterinary practicesacross the U.S. in recent years, resulted in reduced hours of operation at the hospital, which until January 2022, was the Rochester area's only 24-hour emergency veterinary practice.

"It's heartbreaking because we know emergencies happen overnight, and if (pet owners) can't reach us then they have to travel to the Buffalo or Syracuse area for help and if it's truly a critical emergency, that time could count against their pets," McGrain said.

McGrain and her colleagues believe better pay and benefits would attract more workers to the hospital and potentially ease the staff shortages.

Union leaders told employees that the first meeting between union representatives and company representatives on Monday would likely consist of setting ground rules and working out the details of future bargaining sessions.

As of early Monday afternoon, Thrive had not responded to a request for comment.

Beth Adams joined WXXI as host of Morning Edition in 2012 after a more than two-decade radio career. She was the longtime host of the WHAM Morning News in Rochester. Her career also took her from radio stations in Elmira, New York, to Miami, Florida.
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