Care New England’s Butler Hospital, a private, nonprofit, psychiatric and substance abuse hospital in Providence, R.I., has reduced inpatient bed capacity by approximately 40 beds in response to the indefinite strike by members of SEIU 1199 NE, hospital President and COO Mary Marran confirmed in a statement shared with Becker’s.
“We are committed to working toward a contract resolution that will allow us to reopen these units and restore full services to our community as soon as possible,” Ms. Marran said. “We deeply value our staff and the critical work they do, and we remain hopeful that a constructive path forward can be found. Our staff are welcome back at any time.”
Approximately 800 staff members at the hospital, including registered nurses, mental health workers, clerical, environmental service and dietary staff, began an open-ended strike May 15. The union and management began negotiating a new labor contract in March and have been at odds over issues such as pay and workplace safety.
In June, Butler also said it would begin posting positions for permanent replacement employees in response to the strike. Additionally, Ms. Marran announced that May 23 would be the last paycheck for employees who are not actively working due to the strike, and that their hospital-sponsored benefits would expire June 1. Affected employees received information about COBRA coverage and other benefit options.
Meanwhile, the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training has ruled that striking union members are eligible for unemployment benefits. The state agency ruled that the workers are eligible for these benefits retroactive to June 1, when the hospital announced it was posting positions for permanent replacement employees in response to the walkout. Butler Hospital is currently going through the legal appeals process in hopes of obtaining a restraining order against the department to stop it from granting unemployment, according to the union.
The most recent decision to close 40 psychiatric beds comes as the hospital typically serves about 200 psychiatric patients at any given time, according to The Public’s Radio/Rhode Island PBS.
“Sign the contract that has been in front of you for two weeks,” Butler Hospital mental health worker Ben Degnan said during a protest July 9, according to the media outlet. “Sign it and we will be back to work by the weekend.”
