98 percent of striking Butler Hospital union workers vote against management’s ‘final offer’

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Striking Butler Hospital union workers have voted to reject the hospital’s “last, best and final offer” on a new contract.

According to a statement from SEIU 1199, 98 percent of the striking Butler workers voted to reject the contract offer from hospital management and owner Care New England.

The union summarized how they say the offer would affect the outcomes of their three key areas of wages, healthcare and workplace safety.

According to the statement, the Butler offer would pay dietary, clerical and housekeeping workers $18 an hour as a starting rate.

SEIU 1199 said that this pay rate does not sufficiently cover basic expenses for these workers.

“Instead, Butler caregivers are calling for a wage scale that recognizes longevity and seeks to retain current staff,” reads the statement.

The union said that the healthcare plan portion of the offer would “substantially raise the deductibles that workers must pay for the HSA healthcare plan.”

The union said that their proposed plan would increase cost-sharing to maintain affordability.

Workplace safety concerns were also referenced in the union statement, saying that Butler agreed to some of the workers’ safety improvement recommendations.

But they also stated that Butler is “seeking to eliminate the practice that people who are on workmans’ compensation can return to their same position even after a year of service.”

The union said that this cut would require employees injured in workplace violence incidents to reapply to their positions “and, only if rehired, would they keep their seniority and current wage.”

The Butler union has been on strike since May 15 and has engaged in several bargaining sessions with the hospital and Care New England since the work stoppage.

When reached for comment, Butler Hospital spokesperson Mike Raia said:

Every day that SEIU’s professional organizers and political executives keep their members on strike adds more strain to the state’s health care system.

Instead of sharing objective details about Butler’s proposal with their membership, SEIU 1199NE’s professional organizers and executives instructed members to reject Butler’s market-leading proposal. The facts are simple: Butler’s proposal would provide union employees with highest-in-market starting wages for nurses and a starting wage for mental health workers that is 25 percent higher than the regional average. The proposal would provide minimum wages at the hospital that are 20 percent higher than the state minimum wage, double-digit percentage raises, $0 premium health insurance, protected pensions, and significant enhancements to workplace safety.

Butler’s union employees can return to work whenever they wish and will be welcomed back.

The union’s leadership has stated on the record that their focus is not on Butler, its employees, or its patients. Rather, they are focused on elevating their political stature and personal profiles. It’s time for SEIU’s professional organizers to put patients ahead of their political ambition.