“Striking as a nurse is never an easy decision, but our choosing to strike stems from a desire to advocate for better working conditions, patient safety, and fair treatment.”
Woman & Infants management reacted to a possible December 12 unfair labor practice strike approved by 90% of their SEIU 1199 NE unionized workforce by promising the public that they would employ strikebreakers (aka "scabs") to staff the hospital, though they didn't use either of those terms to describe the non-union replacement workers.
According to Raina Smith, Senior Director of PR, Media Relations, and Communications at Women & Infants, "The hospital has contracted with a highly respected national firm to provide nursing, other direct care, and support services during a work stoppage. These professionals have all the credentials and certifications necessary to do an excellent job for the people of Rhode Island. They will work alongside the expert physicians who our patients know and trust."
“The offer to continue to negotiate remains on the table, but each day closer to the strike, we will need to spend more money, which means there will be less available to invest in our offers to the union,” said Shannon Sullivan, President, and Chief Operating Officer for Women & Infants Hospital. “I strongly urge 1199SEIU to withdraw its strike notice and return to the negotiating table with us so that we can dedicate our resources to our staff rather than a strike."
“This legislation is about protecting the right to fair and free collective bargaining, including the right to strike,” said Lana Payne. The bill “modernizes Canada’s labor relations system to reflect the current social and economic context of this country, where increased corporate power and wealth requires an effective counter-balance.”
Lana Payne is the National President of the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America’s Canadian ally Unifor. Unifor is Canada’s largest private-sector union. https://www.unifor.org
Woman & Infants management reacted to a possible December 12 unfair labor practice strike approved by 90% of their SEIU 1199 NE unionized workforce by promising the public that they would employ strikebreakers (aka "scabs") to staff the hospital, though they didn't use either of those terms to describe the non-union replacement workers.
According to Raina Smith, Senior Director of PR, Media Relations, and Communications at Women & Infants, "The hospital has contracted with a highly respected national firm to provide nursing, other direct care, and support services during a work stoppage. These professionals have all the credentials and certifications necessary to do an excellent job for the people of Rhode Island. They will work alongside the expert physicians who our patients know and trust."
“The offer to continue to negotiate remains on the table, but each day closer to the strike, we will need to spend more money, which means there will be less available to invest in our offers to the union,” said Shannon Sullivan, President, and Chief Operating Officer for Women & Infants Hospital. “I strongly urge 1199SEIU to withdraw its strike notice and return to the negotiating table with us so that we can dedicate our resources to our staff rather than a strike."
Contracting strikebreakers is one of management’s strongest weapons against workers. In May of this year, the Canadian Parliament passed “anti-scab” legislation to prohibit federally regulated employers from using replacement workers during a strike. https://www.ueunion.org/ue-news/2024/canadian-parliament-unanimously-passes-anti-scab-legislation
“This legislation is about protecting the right to fair and free collective bargaining, including the right to strike,” said Lana Payne. The bill “modernizes Canada’s labor relations system to reflect the current social and economic context of this country, where increased corporate power and wealth requires an effective counter-balance.”
Lana Payne is the National President of the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America’s Canadian ally Unifor. Unifor is Canada’s largest private-sector union. https://www.unifor.org