Unionized workers at Butler Hospital have voted to authorize a possible strike, saying the hospital’s operators at Care New England have refused to address concerns about workplace safety and wages.
Leadership of the SEIU District 1199 New England – which represents more than 4,000 workers in Rhode Island, including over 400 frontline staff at Butler – say patient assaults on staff rose 41% from 2022 to 2024, with more than 100 assaults reported during the first three months of this year. The union says Butler currently has more than 116 open positions at the psychiatric hospital on the East Side of Providence, citing low wages as the main reason for the hospital’s short-staffing and high turnover rates.
“None of us want to strike,’’ Dan Camp, a behavioral call intake worker at Butler, said in a statement, “but Care New England has ignored our safety for far too long. We are dealing with record numbers of assaults in the hospital and too many of us are afraid just to go to work.”
The union has been in negotiations with hospital management since their contract expired March 31. Tensions ramped up this week when the union staged an informational picket outside Butler on Monday.
“Workplace safety is a top priority at Butler Hospital and across the Care New England Health System (CNE),’’ Care New England spokeswoman Raina C. Smith said in an email Friday. “Across the country, however, violence against healthcare workers is an increasing problem. Healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than employees in other industries, but we have no tolerance for it at Butler Hospital.”
Smith cited a number of initiatives that Butler has adopted to address workplace safety, including the creation of a Health & Safety Committee that includes front-line staff, security personnel, and hospital leadership. The committee meets monthly, she said, to review incidents and guide strategies to reduce risks. Butler also has instituted mandatory training for all employees on workplace violence awareness and reporting; annual specialized training for patient-facing staff in de-escalation, restraint techniques; improved physical security upgrades, communication protocols, and signage and peer support for employees involved in threatening or violent events.
Butler is in “full compliance’’ with Rhode Island’s workplace safety legislation enacted in 2022, Smith said in the email. And the hospital’s reporting system, she said, “allows Butler to study each situation and identify opportunities to improve safety.’’
“Butler has taken steps to encourage and simplify the reporting of workplace violence incidents,’’ Smith said in the email, “and Care New England is currently preparing a systemwide employee survey to gather input for further improvement.”
The hospital has also proposed the introduction of a Workplace Violence Prevention Taskforce to review protocols, training, and reporting procedures related to workplace violence, while working to identify systemic and department-level opportunities for safety improvement.
Butler has proposed on April 15 to increase wages an average of 3.4% – 8.5% per year, with total wage increases of between 15.6% and 32% over the life of the proposed four-year contract.
“Butler Hospital remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with SEIU1199,’’ Smith said, “that supports our staff, enhances patient care, and ensures a safe and respectful workplace for all.”
Care New England is urging union leaders “to continue working with us at the bargaining table in the spirit of collaboration and shared purpose,’’ Smith said.
The union has not set a date yet for a possible strike.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the location and patient population of Butler Hospital.
