Butler Hospital Union Workers to Hold Press Conference Today at 11:30AM to Discuss Path Forward

Providence: As Butler Hospital workers continue their push for a fair contract, they will hold a press conference today at 11:30 AM to address how management’s current proposals aren't enough to lift them out of poverty, recruit and retain qualified staff and turn the corner on the workplace violence epidemic that prompted over 90% of the Butler workforce - or 99% of the workers who participated - to vote for an unfair labor practice strike. They will also highlight how the union bargaining committee’s proposals, developed by a 40-member team representing nearly every hospital department, would meaningfully improve safety and care standards at Butler.

Since Wednesday, May 28, union workers have met with a federal mediator four times, with each session lasting up to eleven hours, in an effort to reach a fair contract. Despite negotiating in good faith, their health benefits were terminated on May 31 and just days later, June 3, management announced plans to permanently replacing long-time staff. Butler union workers will re-affirm that they are the heart and soul of the hospital and they are not replaceable.