Revolution Wind, the massive offshore wind farm under construction off the Rhode Island coast, appears to be dead in the water for now. Citing unspecified security concerns, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued an immediate stop-work order Friday. Now, Rhode Island lawmakers are pushing back, insisting that mothballing the project would cost thousands […]
Labor
Posted inHealth, Labor, Local
Butler Hospital workers ratify new contract, ending strike
The three-month strike at Butler Hospital that forced the closure of roughly half of the psychiatric hospital’s beds ended as workers voted “overwhelmingly” on Monday to ratify a new contract. Butler Hospital and the Service Employees International Union 1199 New England announced the settlement Monday night in a joint statement. “This contract ends the strike […]
Posted inHealth, Labor, Local
Staffing shortages, rise in workplace violence fueling strike at Butler Hospital
Andrew Kimball-Mirzaie had been working at Butler Hospital less than two months when he was attacked by a patient. At 30, Kimball-Mirzaie has the athletic build of someone who looks like he could defend himself if he had to. But he had no reason to think he might be in danger one afternoon in February […]
Posted inEconomy, Labor, Local
Remembering Providence’s Arthur A. Coia, longtime labor leader
Arthur A. Coia died last week at age 82. The Providence native was a pioneer in the U.S. labor movement and best-known as a former president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. Afternoon Host Dave Fallon discussed Coia’s legacy with Scott Malloy, an expert on union history, a professor emeritus at URI, and […]
Posted inHealth, Labor, Local
Butler Hospital forced to close some psych units as strike grinds on
Two psychiatric units at Butler Hospital have temporarily closed as the strike at Rhode Island’s largest mental health facility grinds on, forcing patients to seek care in emergency rooms that struggle to provide the treatment they need. The hospital’s chief operating officer, Mary E. Marran, said the two-month strike has forced Butler to close about […]
Posted inBusiness, Labor, Local
Rhode Island lawmakers approve minimum wage hike
In Rhode Island, both the House and the Senate approved hikes to the state’s minimum wage on Thursday. Under the legislation, the current $15-an-hour minimum wage would go up to $16 next year and $17 in 2027. Providence State Rep. David Morales says while he supports the wage hike, $17-an-hour works out to just under […]
Posted inArts And Culture, Labor, The Weekly Catch, Weather
The latest on the Butler Hospital strike, preparing for hurricane season, and more
Butler Hospital announced plans this week to replace the roughly 800 unionized workers that have been striking for the past few weeks. We’ll hear about how we got here, and why it might not be so easy to fill those roles. Also, it’s hurricane season. Although New England rarely takes a direct hit, emergency officials want residents to remember the basics needed to get through a storm. We’ll share some of those tips. And we give you a preview of the summer festival season – starting with this weekend’s Providence Porchfest. Plus, Ian Donnis takes a look back on the week in Rhode Island politics.
Posted inHealth, Labor, Local
Butler Hospital could struggle to hire permanent replacements for striking nurses and other health care workers
Butler Hospital has raised the stakes in its standoff with unionized employees, announcing plans to hire permanent replacements for about 800 workers in their third week of a strike. But filling all those open positions with permanent hires at the psychiatric hospital on Providence’s East Side will be tough, labor experts said, given hospital staffing […]
Posted inHealth, Labor, Local
Butler Hospital’s striking workers and management resume talks with federal mediators
Editor’s note: This story was updated Thursday, May 29, with the latest information. Butler Hospital and union negotiators are scheduled to return to the bargaining table with federal mediators Thursday as the two sides try to end a strike at the psychiatric hospital that has stretched into its second week. Union officials said that after […]
Posted inHealth, Labor, Local
Butler Hospital to cut off striking workers’ health benefits
Hundreds of striking workers at Butler Hospital, on Providence’s East Side, received notices that their health benefits will be terminated at the end of the month. The psychiatric hospital operated by Care New England said in a May 16 letter to nurses, mental health workers and other staff who are members of the SEIU1199 New […]
