Home Industries Health Services Butler Hospital posts job listings to permanently replace striking employees

Butler Hospital posts job listings to permanently replace striking employees

By

Katie Castellani

-

06/03/2025

QeAolhN9-Butlerhospital — BUTLER HOSPITAL has started posting job postings to permanently replace unionized employees in response to an ongoing strike./COURTESY OF CARE NEW ENGLAND HEALTH SYSTEM.

PROVIDENCE – Butler Hospital has started posting job postings to permanently replace unionized employees in response to the ongoing strike that is now entering its third week. “We sincerely hoped this step would not become necessary,” Mary Marran, president and chief operating officer of Butler said in a statement Tuesday. “We believe this action is

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PROVIDENCE – Butler Hospital has started posting job postings to permanently replace unionized employees in response to the ongoing strike that is now entering its third week. “We sincerely hoped this step would not become necessary,” Mary Marran, president and chief operating officer of Butler said in a statement Tuesday. “We believe this action is essential to ensure continuity of patient care and maintain the stability of our services." On May 15, more than 800 Butler employees who are members of the Service Employees International Union 1199 New England, or SEIU 1199NE, started an “open-ended” strike after contract negotiations stalled. Union representatives said they were notified on May 29 that Butler would begin posting positions for permanent replacements, including day shift roles across all departments. According to federal law, employees who are permanently replaced will not return to work once the strike ends. Instead, those employees will be placed on a “preferential hire list” and be able to return to work once a position is available, Marran said, adding employees are welcome back “at any time.” “Mary Marran’s claims of heartfelt concern for Butler Hospital employees are perverse in light of her decision to replace dedicated frontline staff – some of whom have served the hospital since graduating high school – with out-of-state, temporary workers,” said Jesse Martin, executive vice president of SEIU 1199 NE. “Not only is this immoral, it is illegal in light of the hospital's unfair labor practices. Stripping Butler employees of their job security and healthcare benefits is not how you build a better hospital. Real improvement comes from respecting workers' voices, honoring their contributions, and paying them fairly to ensure both staff and patient safety." On May 19, the striking employees received a letter from Care New England Health System, which operates Butler, stating that their last paycheck will be May 23 and would not receive another paycheck if they do not report to work. Also, medical, dental and vision insurance benefits would expire on May 31, a move is in line with federal law, Marran said. Since then, union members and Care New England management have met with federal mediators several times in attempts to reach an agreement. SEIU 1199 NE workers say they are on strike because Care New England “has refused to consider the union’s most recent contract proposal to raise wages and address a growing workplace violence crisis.” Meanwhile, Care New England has said it “worked diligently and in good faith to find common ground and address critical issues,” throughout the months-long negotiating process, including offering wage increases and enhanced workplace safety efforts. State leaders, including House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, have urged both sides to return to the bargaining table. “I am calling on both the management of Butler Hospital and health care workers represented by SEIU 1199 New England to get back to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith and come up with a fair deal,” Shekarchi said in a May 20 statement. “Patients, family, friends and neighbors in every Rhode Island community are being impacted by the ongoing strike at Butler Hospital.” Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com