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Another kerfuffle where strikers’ rights meet rights of children, elderly, homeowners, drivers
Photo on picket line, Providence City Council social pages
Members of SEIU at Butler Hospital have been striking for over a week now, walking on Blackstone Boulevard which has no sidewalks, often crossing back and forth over the one-lane car, one-lane bike land property.
Picketing includes signs, shouting, notes for cars to blow their horns in support – and bullhorns.
The area is residential, with homes all around the area, and the popular walking/jogging path running down the middle of the road, with one of the most active bike lanes in Providence.
Butler Hospital, proper, is far inside the main entrance of the hospital’s property on Blackstone Boulevard. That property has been developed to not only include a hospital, emergency mental health care services for those in crisis, elderly housing, and a childcare facility, with parents coming and going to drop off and pick up their children.
The noise level has risen to be a problem for residents and others. Providence Police provided warnings to the picketers, and some received $500 fines for violating the city’s noise ordinances – particularly for strikers ignoring warnings, using bullhorns and asking passing cars to blow their horns in support. A PPD mobile sign saying “No Horns” has been added to the area.
The union has offered to observe “quiet hours before 8:00 AM” and “”avoid the use of bullhorns or other noisemakers during that time”. The union proposed hours where noise of picketing can be made freely, ending in the early evening. It’s unclear what the status of that is, but noise and disruption appears to be during daytime hours after 8am as well.
End in sight? Rain – Pay – Health Benefits – Fines
As the week winds down, will the strike come to an end? Four days of rain ahead. Workers on the picket line have been told they will be paid through this Friday, May 23rd. Their health benefits, if they are still out of work, will terminate on June 1st.
Providence City Council President joins picket line with her own bullhorn
Posted to social media are photos of Providence City Council President Rachel Miller, showing her yelling into a bullhorn – there is also a video of Miller chanting, “No contract, no peace. No contract, no peace. No healthcare. No peace. What do we want? (contract) When do we want it? (now)” Along with the video is a message for people to bring food and drop off BJ gift cards to the strikers. Miller has been showing up on the picket line for 3 days.
From Miller’s release:
“Under the leadership of Council President Miller, this council has demonstrated time again its steadfast commitment to the rights of Providence workers to organize and collectively bargain.”
“The council president condemns both of these punitive and reactionary measures in the strongest possible terms, and reiterates the council’s firm support for union members to peacefully demonstrate without fear of reprisal.” – referring to loss of imminent loss of pay and benefits
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Councilor Miguel Sanchez also wrote:
“Unfortunately, the bosses have also kept up their own tradition: a tradition of bad faith, suppression, and cowardice. And now, we have learned that management is taking the cruel and unnecessary step of cancelling health insurance for striking employees, an irony for these essential healthcare workers that should enrage us all…”
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Councilwoman Helen Anthony (Ward 2), who represents the surrounding area:
“I and many of my colleagues on the City Council stand in solidarity with the Butler employees, and we are grateful to both law enforcement and the demonstrators for ensuring that the workers’ essential right to strike is exercised peacefully and with respect for our neighbors.”
The City Council press release ended with: “Councilors will continue to defend the rights of striking union members and amplify the voices and struggles of organized workers throughout the city. As they say on the picket line, ‘no contract, no peace.’ “
The City Council is advertising for a Digital Media Specialist to “help create engaging content that informs and connects with residents…”
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UPDATED: Rep. David Morales “calls out “MAGA-Style” tactics by Mayor Smiley
In a news release Thursday morning, State Representative David Morales issued this statement, in part:
“Between the lack of a fair contract with Care New England and the troubling news that unionized striking workers will be losing their health benefits, our healthcare workers are now facing an additional attack: $500 fines for exercising their right to strike and bringing attention to the mistreatment they face at Butler Hospital.
These are frontline healthcare workers — some of whom are paid so poorly they are forced to live in their cars. Instead of standing with SEIU 1199 members, a majority of whom call Providence home, Mayor Smiley has chosen to punish them. This isn’t leadership. It’s intimidation.
This is a page out of the MAGA Republican playbook.
At a time when our healthcare system is stretched thin and frontline workers are burning out, Mayor Smiley is trying to silence them. As a State Representative, I will continue calling on Care New England to reach a fair agreement with SEIU 1199 — one that guarantees workers higher wages, safer working conditions, and improved patient care. We should be fighting alongside our Butler workers and every working family trying to make ends meet in our city.”
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Joseph Shekarchi, Speaker of the House, released this statement:
“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. Patients, family, friends and neighbors in every Rhode Island community are being impacted by the ongoing strike at Butler Hospital. My hope is that management and the union at Butler Hospital reach a fair deal in the very near future.”
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Butler Hospital – Care New England posted this about the strike:
“At Butler Hospital, our top priority remains the safety, well-being, and compassionate care of our patients and their families. We are fully committed to maintaining these standards throughout the ongoing strike by SEIU 1199 NE. We have worked diligently to reach a fair and sustainable agreement, offering significant wage increases and improvements in workplace safety. Unfortunately, SEIU 1199 NE ended negotiations on May 7 and has not yet returned to the bargaining table, despite our continued willingness to resume talks. We continue to urge SEIU 1199 NE to re-engage in good-faith negotiations so we can reach a resolution that refocuses our shared commitment on what matters most—our patients and the dedicated professionals who care for them.”
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RINewsToday has covered the issues that result from public demonstrations that protrude on the rights of individuals, groups, workers, patients, and families unrelated to the action – most recently at a demonstration outside the Rhode Island Hospital Emergency Department having to do with an earlier arrest of an illegal in the community by ICE:
It’s called ‘collective bargaining’ for a reason. When the employer, Care New England says ‘significant improvements’ in wages and safety, there is acknowledgement that safety and wages are in need of significant attention. Essentially expressing a take it or leave it attitude is hardly collective bargaining. There is no doubt the patients are Butler are far more needy and require special attention. No worker should have to go to the job wondering if he or she will be safe. Surely that responsibility is directly on the shoulders of the management; it shouldn’t even be an issue for bargaining. Now salary and benefits are an issue. That’s what unions are for. It seems that threats to cancel health care by a health care facility is diametrically opposite to its mission. Unfortunately the neighborhood residents are inconvenienced by the noise. I’ve never heard of a silent strike and the fact that the employees are working picket lines rather sipping coffee at a nearby cafe, suggests that what is on the table is not enough of commitment from the management. No one gives up wages and benefits for the experience of walking a picket lines voluntarily; evidently they’ve been pushed beyond reasonable. And, I’m surprised that the police, union people themselves, are fining the strikers. No doubt by threats from the mayor.
Part of the issue is there are no sidewalks. Another is that this is a residential area – plus day care and seniors. Also heard disruption to a funeral going to Swan Point. So – this is not a usual circumstance.