WARWICK – Members of United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5008 picketed outside Kent Hospital on Sept. 12, seeking equal terms between new and existing members and an assurance of job security in light of hospital parent company Care New England’s pending deal with Partners HealthCare of Massachusetts.
Care New England criticized the timing of the picketing, and lamented the lack of cooperation the picketing signals as Care New England works to improve its finances ahead of negotiations for Partners to purchase Care New England.
“Today’s informational picket by members of the union is extremely disappointing and ignores the reality facing both Kent Hospital and Care New England,” said Jim Beardsworth, Care New England spokesman. “It is no secret we have been experiencing significant financial challenges, but everyone has been working extremely hard to implement strategic action plans in an effort to increase volume, promote care retention and develop new strategies that will best help us serve the community.”
Jack Callaci, director of collective bargaining and organizing at UNAP, said the union is seeking the same terms for 400 new members of the union applied to 800 longstanding members.
The 400 newly organized workers, whose professions span a mix of service and technical employees including dietary, secretarial, patient admitting, maintenance, radiology, respiratory and phlebotomists, have substantially less pay and benefits than the other union members under contract, Callaci said.
The 400 new union members have been at Kent for varying periods ranging from new hire to 45 years of service, he said.
When a union represents only a portion of employees in a facility, it can organize the others at any time, Callaci said. When that happens, the employer has the right to negotiate for different terms and conditions of employment, as does the union.
At Kent, assistants, surgical techs and orderlies joined Local 5008 in January 2014. Environmental employees joined the union October 2014. The 400 new members joined in elections on three different dates from August 2016 through January 2017.
In January and October 2014, Care New England agreed to the same terms and conditions of employment in quick, one-day negotiations. When the latest union members negotiated with Care New England Jan. 1, 2016, that changed.
“This time, the employer insists on maintaining the significantly inferior pay and benefits in effect for the 400 and we have been negotiating for a long time,” Callaci said.
One example of lesser benefits is the medical plan availability to the newest members.
“They are in a medical plan wherein if they don’t use a Care New England facility, they pay huge deductibles and coinsurance,” whereas the union members under the previous contract have the option to pay a little bit more and go anywhere they want, he said.
“It is entirely unfair to expect all employees to do their very best each and every day and yet have one set of pay and benefits for 400 employees substantially inferior to their 800 co-workers,” said UNAP President Rose Desnoyers.
Another point of contention for the union is the promise of job security. The various contracts expire June 30, 2018.
“We want them extended by several years now so that our members will know what their pay and benefits are for the coming years and during the transition period. Our contracts contain a successor clause, which means that any purchaser has to honor the contracts in place for their duration.
Callaci said that in reply to UNAP’s request for extending current contracts in light of the ongoing merger/acquisition talks with Partners, Care New England has demanded sharp cuts in benefits.
For example, Desnoyers said, Care New England is demanding increases in deductibles and a $1,200 annual charge for employees who wish to cover their spouse on the medical plan.
“The hospital is not asking for a greater contribution for health care benefits. We are seeking increased deductibles when an employee uses facilities outside the system network and a modest premium for continuing to have a spouse on the hospital plan when they have access to health insurance through their own employer. These offerings continue to represent industry standards or better,” said Beardsworth.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. You can email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
