Women and Infants Hospital reaches tentative agreement with union; strike canceled

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Women and Infants Hospital said it has reached a tentative agreement on a new, three-year contract with union members.

As part of the agreement, SEIU1199 has withdrawn its notice to the hospital that it intended to strike on December 12, according to a release.

The release stated that the final tentative agreement saves “the union’s pension and provides significant contributions to employees’ retirement.”

“It provides salary increases that are important for employees and their families and makes Women and Infants even more competitive to retain and recruit the best talent,” the release stated.

“We are very pleased that we have reached an agreement on a contract that benefits both our staff and Women & Infants Hospital,” said Shannon R. Sullivan, president of Women & Infants.

The union said that a ratification vote on the contract will be held in the coming days, with more information released after.

“After bargaining for nearly 17 hours, we are pleased that our Women and Infants union bargaining committee was able to reach a tentative agreement with management that includes industry-leading wages increases and improvements to benefits that will help recruit and retain qualified staff across all departments and units,” registered nurse and bargaining committee member Nancy Chandley Adams said. “It has not been an easy road but we are hopeful this allows us a new opportunity for respect and communication between union workers and management to the benefit of our patients.”

SEIU, which represents over 2,000 staff including registered nurses, clerical, environmental service, dietary and technical workers at the hospital, said 90% of the workforce of caregivers had voted for the strike on Dec. 12.

On Nov. 12, over 1,200 frontline staff held a picket discussing unfair labor practices, which SEIU said was the largest in local union history.