Union: Butler to spend $1.8M on replacement staff; hospital says it offered raises, four-year contract

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The union representing Butler Hospital workers announced that the hospital plans to spend $1.8 million on outside replacement workers during the union workers’ planned strike starting May 15.

A Butler representative responded saying that a four-year contract with raises and other considerations was offered to the union.

According to Jesse Martin, Vice President of SEIU 1199NE, Butler stated they would use the replacement workers during recent contract negotiations with the union.

“Instead of investing in its own workforce, Care New England (Butler’s owner) plans to spend almost two million dollars to fly in out-of-state workers during the strike which will continue to drain valuable resources away from our state,” said Martin. 

Reached for comment on the matter, Butler representative Raina Smith stated that in a May 7 bargaining session, the union had been offered “across the board wage increases of 18 percent for off-scale workers…substantial raises for lower-wage employees, with increases exceeding 40% over four years.”

Smith said that continued pension contributions, affordable health insurance and a workplace violence task force were also offered as part of a four-year contract and that the union disengaged from bargaining.

“Unfortunately, the high cost of preparing for a strike, including bringing in temporary licensed professionals to ensure uninterrupted care, has required us to reallocate resources that otherwise would have supported wage and benefit improvements,” said Smith.

Jesse Martin said of the bargaining session: “SEIU 1199NE’s negotiating committee submitted proposals as late as 8:00 pm on Wednesday, May 7 but hospital management has refused to respond.”

Smith said that the hospital remains open to negotiations with the union.

The planned strike to begin May 15 is due to the union’s claim that Butler “failed to produce any meaningful progress to address chronic short staffing, low wages and workplace violence.”