PROVIDENCE — With last-minute negotiations having failed, unionized nurses and other health-care workers at Lifespan’s Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals went on strike.þþThe strike began at 3 p.m., with long picket lines extending along Eddy Street from the main entrance to Rhode Island Hospital and down both sides of Dudley Street.þþUnited Nurses & Allied Professionals Local 5098 strikers, family members and outside supporters sang, chanted, blew whistles, clanged cow bells and carried hundreds of signs, many handmade, including one that declared “Lifespan needs to invest in their nurses” and another that read “My X-ray can see that Lifespan has no heart.”þþThe start of the strike came after negotiators for both sides returned to the table at 8 a.m. Monday for talks that proved fruitless, just as they had last week during two other days of federal mediation. Members of UNAP Local 5098 voted July 12 to reject a contract proposal and on July 16 to authorize the three-day strike that started Monday.þþ“This is a difficult day for all of us. Every member who walks the picket line understands what’s at stake for themselves, their families and their patients,” said Frank Sims, a registered nurse and president of UNAP Local 5098. “Lifespan is a broken system where wealthy executives make millions and front-line caregivers are ordered to do more with less, and until that changes, patient care will continue to be adversely impacted.”þþAccording to the union, Lifespan management informed union members that they would be relieved at 1:30 p.m. Replacement workers hired by the Huffmaster Strike Services have been receiving training since last week and were in place to assume duties.þþLifespan responded early Monday afternoon by expressing disappointment and reiterating its contention that its last offer was generous.þþ“We are extremely disappointed that UNAP leadership has decided to move forward with the strike,” David Levesque, director of public relations, marketing and communications, said in a statement. “No one wins in a strike. The hospital has offered extremely competitive wage and benefits packages valued at tens of millions of dollars.”þþDuring the Monday-morning talks, Levesque said, “the union rejected a restructured proposal from the hospital that included generous wage increases ranging from 9 to 25 percent over four years. Instead, UNAP leadership submitted wage increases of up to 28 percent, and added significant additional economic proposals that rendered their offer simply unrealistic.”þþLevesque added: “Lifespan is a $2.2 billion healthcare system, and last year showed an operating income of only $14.6 million, or a 0.7-percent operating margin. These dollars are used to reinvest in staffing and state-of-the-art medical equipment, among other necessities, to ensure that we are able to deliver the highest quality care to our patients. UNAP’s latest wage proposals were not in line with market rates.”þþLast Tuesday, Lifespan sent $10 million to Huffmaster Strike Services to provide replacement workers, who are guaranteed four days of work. The union, which represents registered nurses, case managers, diagnostic imaging technicians, biomedical engineering staff and respiratory therapists, was notified that members will be locked out for four days.þþ“Whatever happens in negotiations,” said Ray Sullivan, a spokesman for the union, “everyone goes back to work Friday at 3 p.m.þþSeveral Huffmaster security guards wearing black boots, green vests and blue uniforms with “Huffmaster Crisis Response” badges watched strikers from several posts as the picket lines circled Monday on a hot, steamy summer afternoon. Sullivan estimated the size of the crowd at more than 1,000.
Source: www.tauntongazette.com/
