Three weeks after Butler Hospital management issued what it called its ‘last, best and final’ contract proposal, the union representing striking workers has ‘overwhelmingly’ rejected the offer and will continue their strike.
The New England Health Care Employees Union (SEIU 1199NE) said on Wednesday that 98 per cent of members voted against the July 11th offer, amid what is now the longest hospital strike in Rhode Island history.
SEIU 1199NE stated: ‘This proposal keeps its lowest paid members in poverty,’ and criticised Butler management for publicising the contract before members had reviewed it.
One of the union’s main concerns is the hospital’s proposed $18-an-hour minimum wage (£13.65), which amounts to about $37,440 (£28,385) a year before taxes.
With the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Rhode Island hovering around $1,800 (£1,365), the union said that wage would barely cover housing and gas, let alone other basic needs.
The SEIU union said: ‘Butler caregivers are calling for a wage scale that recognises longevity and seeks to retain current staff.
‘Currently, management’s proposal does nothing to help bring recognition to years of service at the hospital.’
Registered nurse and union member Dawn Williams said that the proposal does not benefit all members, especially the lowest-paid workers.
Williams said: ‘This last proposal doesn’t touch them. It doesn’t help them.
‘It would drive a wedge between some of the earners, like nurses and mental health workers, where they did give us a little bit of a wage increase, but nothing for the people to bring them out of poverty.’
Meanwhile, Teamsters at Sysco in Minnesota have voted unanimously to authorise a strike if the company fails to deliver a fair contract.
The group of over 230 drivers and warehouse workers are demanding wage increases, stronger benefits, and improved working conditions.
Tom Erickson, President of Teamsters Local 120 and Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division said: ‘We’re not bluffing. If Sysco doesn’t put a serious proposal on the table, our members will be on the picket line.
‘This greedy corporation can either negotiate a fair deal or face the consequences.’
The Teamsters represent more than 10,000 Sysco workers nationwide.
‘In recent years, the Teamsters have been forced to launch multiple major strikes after Sysco refused to bargain in good faith.
‘In 2023, Sysco forced Teamsters in Indianapolis and Louisville to strike after failing to present a fair contract.
‘The strike saw picket lines extended to over 1,000 Sysco Teamsters nationwide and ended in record-breaking contracts.
Ben Alverado, a driver at Sysco and member of Local 120, stated: ‘We’re not asking for anything unreasonable. Sysco rakes in billions off our labour.
‘If they keep offering crumbs, we’re ready to shut them down.’
Sysco is one of the largest and most profitable food service companies in the United States.
In 2024, it reported $1.95 billion in net profits – up more than 10 per cent from the year prior.
Local 120 members are demanding a contract that reflects the company’s record earnings.
The strike authorisation gives the union the power to call a work stoppage after the contract expiration date of Friday, 1st August.
- On Thursday the AFL-CIO announced Workers Deserve, a Workers’ Labour Day week of action next week.
The AFL-CIO stated: ‘In communities large and small in every state, workers will celebrate our power and the freedom, fairness and security we all deserve.
‘At hundreds of events across the country, working people will send a clear message to greedy CEOs, billionaires and anti-worker politicians: We built this country, and we’re taking it back.’
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler added: ‘Big corporations and billionaires like Elon Musk and President Trump launched the biggest attacks on unions in history because they know that when we stand together, we have the power to speak out and fight back.
‘As I’ve been travelling the country this summer, I’ve been inspired by the energy and enthusiasm workers have to create a better future where we all earn fair wages, and have good health care, a secure retirement and the dignity we deserve on the job.
‘It’s better in a union — and we won’t stop until all workers have a fair shot to join one.’
The Workers Deserve Labour Day week of action will be a culmination of the AFL-CIO’s ‘It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness and Security’ bus tour, which will wrap up after two months of crisscrossing the country with two buses, to highlight workers’ fights to organise, win fair contracts and counteract the impact that reckless policies are having on our lives.
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond said: ‘Working people are more united than ever to restore our fundamental freedoms and spark an organising renaissance that sets our country on a new course.
‘The CEOs and billionaires are scared of us.
‘That’s why they’re attacking us.
‘I’ve got a message for those who are assaulting our rights: You’re right to be scared.
‘Working people are the backbone of this country, and when we join together in solidarity, nothing can stop us.’
St. Louis-area union members in Missouri held a rally and press conference on Wednesday to hold Republican House R representative Ann Wagner accountable for betraying working people by voting for the disastrous federal budget bill and delaying its cuts until after the 2026 midterms, when she’s up for re-election.
A part of the AFL-CIO’s ‘It’s Better In a Union’ bus tour, the event featured remarks from a variety of local unions, including the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council, American Postal Workers Union (APWU), AFGE, and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).
After the speeches, a group of union members delivered an oversized letter to Wagner, outlining workers’ grievances with the harmful legislation she supported.
St. Louis Labour Council Secretary-Treasurer Robbie Robertson said: ‘We are here to advocate for safe workplaces, comprehensive benefits and job security for the working people.
‘The goal is to provide working people with the stability and peace of mind they need to support themselves and their families.
The unions are here to build a stronger economy by fighting for freedom, fairness, and security for the working people.’
