"In the three years I was there, I experienced three serious injuries - including having my wrist sprained, a concussion from getting punched in the face and getting bit on the shoulder."
Providence: One week after workers began their unfair labor practice strike, hundreds of Butler frontline workers gathered at the State House Rotunda today to underscore the urgency of the workplace violence epidemic they are experiencing at work, driven by chronically short staffing and low wages. They carried images of their own injuries they experienced as a result of patient assaults and shared first person testimony.
Workplace violence and injuries have been steadily increasing over the last few years. The latest workplace violence figures provided to the union by Butler Hospital showed there have been 25 additional assaults since the last count in March.
- Since 2022 to 2024, there has been a 41% increase in patient assaults on staff
- There has been a 79% increase in overall workplace injuries in the same time period
- Patient assaults on workers that required medical attention increased fourfold from 2021-24
- 95% of workers said in a recent survey they feel as if management has not been doing enough to keep them safe at work.
I am 24 years old and started as a mental health worker at Butler Hospital. In the three years I was there, I experienced three serious injuries - including having my wrist sprained, a concussion from getting punched in the face and getting bit on the shoulder. I decided to transfer to the nursing scheduling department because I was sick of getting hurt at work. Instead of focusing on just the numbers, Butler Hospital needs to see us as human beings and value the work we do and our safety.”
- Meghan Kiernan, Nurse Scheduling
In 2023 I was injured restraining a person that was morbidly obese, and there was not enough staff available to safely restrain them. I sustained two herniated and bulging discs and was left out of work for six months. At 27 years old I continue to struggle with chronic back pain and sciatica flareups, and probably will for the rest of my life."
- Catherine Maynard, Registered Nurse in the Geriatric Unit
SEIU 1199NE’s negotiating committee submitted a counter proposal on Wednesday evening, May 7 to management’s “last, best and final offer,” and has not heard a response since.
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, 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.
Today marks the eighth day of our strike at Butler Hospital. We’re ready to go back to work to care for our patients but we need Care New England to do the right thing, hold themselves accountable and respond to our urgent requests to keep us safe."
- Catherine Maynard, Registered Nurse in the Geriatric Unit
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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.