FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Women & Infants Hospital Announces More Layoffs Ahead of Informational Picket

23 July 2025

CNE is using the same intimidation tactic employed during its layoff announcement on May 15

Providence - Just yesterday, the day before hundreds of Women & Infants caregivers were to hold an informational picket denouncing Care New England's unlawful, anti-union behavior, management announced they would be laying off an additional eight workers who work in Medical Records and Coding in the Oncology Department. This is the same tactic CNE previously employed on May 15 - the day Butler caregivers began their unfair labor practices strike - when it announced it would be laying off at least nine essential workers during one of Women & Infants' busiest seasons, including the entire Pre-Admission Testing (PAT) department.

It's no coincidence that everytime we demand accountability from hospital leadership, Care New England responds with layoff announcements. It is retaliation plain and simple. But by eliminating critical positions in the hospital including clerical, medical records, coding and the entire pre-admissions testing department, management is not just punishing workers, they are putting patient care at risk. This is a new low for Care New England.

- Justine Iadaluca, C-Section Recovery Room RN at Women & Infants Hospital

This past Friday, Care New England issued a press release announcing it was seeking an unfair labor practice charge against union caregivers, demonizing its own workforce in their efforts to bring serious patient and safety concerns directly to management as a group because CNE has refused to engage in existing processes to resolve issues. This was the same conduct that was ruled unlawful by a National Labor Relations Board administrative judge in an unfair labor practice trial last year.

It is both sad and frankly unbelievable that this administration would rather publicly accuse its own caregivers of unprofessional conduct rather than work together with us to address critical patient care concerns we have been raising for years. Our number one priority has always been, and will always be, delivering safe, high-quality care and we will never stop advocating on behalf of our patients. We call on our administrators to stop treating us as adversaries and instead work with us to improve care.

- Cassie White, Registered Nurse, Mother Baby Unit

Care New England's recent maneuvers are just the latest in a years-long pattern to silence and intimidate workers for raising concerns about serious patient care issues. Last year, in response to CNE’s unprecedented number of unfair labor practices and arbitrations, over 90% of 2,000 Women & Infants members voted to strike. To this day, management continues attempts to circumvent the terms of caregivers' union contract ratified back in December, 2024, including shifting the entire PAT department’s workload off to other - potentially non-union roles, which would be illegal per the contract.

By retaliating against workers, Women & Infants is negatively impacting the quality of care to mothers and babies, creating a hostile environment that drives low morale and high turnover. For the sake of its patients and dignity of its dedicated workforce, it is time Care New England stops its disingenuous attacks on workers' union rights.

For more information or to request an interview with a member of SEIU 1199NE please contact comms@seiu1199ne.org or Amelia Abromaitis at (484)363-9783 or Rachel Rooney at (860)280-6443.

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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.