Across Care New England, frontline union workers are rejecting the status quo and demanding safer, quality healthcare and a living wage
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 in March. On April 25, 91% of the entire workforce of frontline staff at Butler Hospital voted to authorize the strike citing management’s refusal to address the workplace violence crisis and wages below market value. The starting wages for a Mental Health Worker at Butler is $18.27; a CNA is $18.64 and Service & Maintenance is $15.53. According to the Economic Progress Institute’s 2024 Standard of Need, $23.47 is the wage needed for a single adult to make ends meet and $25.75 for a two-parent family with two children.
The effect of low wages is unsafe staffing that impacts every single unit I work on as a float nurse. Low staffing means that management will decrease the level of care that high-acuity patients receive to compensate for lack of staff and puts us and our patients at greater risk of harm. Short staffing means burned out staff and high turnover, which decreases the level of specialized experience needed to treat our acute psychiatric patients.
Ashley Ouellette, a float nurse and member of the SEIU 1199NE bargaining committee at Butler
On May, May 12, the union filed unfair labor practices against the employer, identifying numerous categories of behavior by the hospital that are both unlawful and unacceptable to the union members, including 1) refusing to bargain in good faith 2) threatening, coercing and retaliating against workers for protected union activity 3) surveilling workers as they engage in union activity and 4) making unilateral changes to condition of employment after the contract expired.
Across Care New England, union healthcare workers have been engaged in direct action to call on their employer to prioritize their needs and their patients. Today at 11AM, frontline staff at Women & Infants held an informational picket to demand Care New England cease making unilateral changes to working conditions in violation of their contract and for an end to abusive practices to dietary and EVS workers by Sodexo, the Food Services & Facilities Management company contracted by CNE. Over 2,000 union workers throughout the hospital are part of SEIU 1199NE and, earlier this year, won a ground-breaking contract settlement with 13% wage increases, protections to pension and healthcare benefits and landmark expansion of the union’s training program.
In addition, on May 7, frontline caregivers of the VNA of Care New England held their own informational picket to demand fairness and equal pay. 44 SEIU 1199NE Physical & Occupational Therapists and Assistants who provide home therapy care to recently discharged hospital patients have been bargaining with CNE since January. Management has proposed wage increases that keep them below market, and are less than wage increases across the health system.
I have been at the VNA for 20 years and I make $6 less than a physical therapist at Women and Infants. we deserve the same dignity and respect as all other members in Care New England.
- Jannike Caldeira, a Physical Therapist
Butler workers will begin day two of their unfair labor practice strike at 6AM on Friday, May 16 if Care New England refuses to settle a fair contract.
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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 almost 5,000 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.