“None of us want to strike but Care New England has ignored our safety for far too long.”
SEIU 1199 New England represents over 800 frontline staff at Butler Hospital including registered nurses, mental health workers, clerical, environmental service and dietary staff who began bargaining last month. Workers’ current contracts expired March 31 and there are currently 116 open positions at the hospital.
None of us want to strike but Care New England has ignored our safety for far too long. We are dealing with record numbers of assaults in the hospital and too many of us are afraid just to go to work. For the last month we have put forward specific proposals to improve workplace safety and the quality and consistency of care for our patients but management refuses to take our concerns seriously. Low wages are the key reason staffing is so short and turnover is so high. We have Butler staff who are struggling to feed their family and even living out of their cars - when people are worried about their basic needs it reduces the quality of the care and support we can provide. It is time Care New England addresses these problems head on so we can work on providing a safe, therapeutic environment for our patients.
Dan Camp, Behavioral Health Call Intake.
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District 1199 SEIU New England represents 29,000 health care and service workers in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Southeastern Massachusetts. In Rhode Island, 1199 SEIU NE represents over 4,000 members. 1199 SEIU NE is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – a union of over 2 million members across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. SEIU has been a national leader in pushing the growing Fight for $15 and a Union movement.
