After eight hours of additional bargaining, it is time for Butler management to settle a fair contract
    After eight hours of additional bargaining, it is time for Butler management to settle a fair contract
    News

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2025

    After eight hours of additional bargaining, it is time for Butler management to settle a fair contract

    20 June 2025

    "The care we provide every day saves lives. It shouldn’t be this hard to get Butler to pay us fairly and ensure our safety on the job."

    Providence - After bargaining for over eight hours yesterday, Butler's union bargaining committee left negotiations with no clear end in sight. Over 200 members from departments and units across the hospital participated in the bargaining process today after the 40-member caregiver committee decided to expand participation to more union members earlier this week. Over 800 members belong to SEIU 1199NE at Butler Hospital and each day, provide a wide range of care and services to those experiencing mental health challenges, substance abuse and even homelessness. They have been without a contract since March 31 and out on an unfair labor practice strike since May 15.

    Over 200 Butler caregivers joined the bargaining session yesterday with a federal mediator to reach an agreement and get back to work. But once again, management refused to offer wages that lift our members out of poverty. The care we provide every day saves lives. It shouldn’t be this hard to get Butler to pay us fairly and ensure our safety on the job. We know the money is there. At this point, it’s a matter of priorities. After months of negotiation, the time for discussion is over. It’s time for management to act and settle a fair contract with us.

    - Dawn Williams, Registered Nurse and Member of the Bargaining Committee

    Earlier this week, Butler caregivers and supporters held informational pickets outside of the Providence Center and Kent Hospital, calling on leadership to allocate recent financial gains toward improving staffing and workplace safety. Their demands came just days after the The Providence Journal confirmed that Care New England sold a portion of its property to Laurelmead Realty LLC, a retirement community adjacent to Butler Hospital, for $15.7 million. This sale follows recent reports showing CNE's strong financial performance, including a $1.2 million operating profit in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, following a $3.4 million profit in the first quarter.

    Butler workers plan to march in the Rhode Island Pride parade tomorrow with SEIU members from across the state and are looking at additional bargaining dates next week.

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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.