Butler Hospital is a private, non-profit hospital off of Blackstone Boulevard that provides psychiatric and substance abuse care. It’s been open since 1844, making it the state’s oldest hospital.
Recently, the healthcare facility has made headlines as employees have organized to cease work as negotiation between their union, SEIU 1199 New England, and management stalled. The workers are asking for improved wages, staffing levels, and workplace safety.
Care New England — who owns Butler — terminated the employee health insurance of the striking workers, advising them that they would lose benefits if they did not continue work by May 31. At the beginning of this month, the hospital announced that it would begin posting jobs in order to replace the striking employees.
About 900 — The number of both “full-time and part-time clinical and non-clinical staff” who the hospital employs
About 800 — the number of unionized members striking in protest of current labor practices
91% — the percent of Butler union members who voted to strike
May 12 — the day SEIU 1199 NE filed an unfair labor practices complaint, alleging “Refusal to Bargain/Bad Faith or Surface Bargaining”
May 15 — the day the strike began
237 — the number of patient-on-staff assaults at Butler in 2024
About $15 — the starting hourly wage for service and maintenance staff
About $18 — the starting hourly wage for mental health workers and certified nursing assistants
About $23 — the estimated living wage for a single adult in Providence. (This wage doubles if the adult has a child.)
$81.1 million — Butler Hospital’s reported total assets in 2023, according to ProPublica
$542,960 — Butler Hospital President and COO Mary Marran’s reported income for 2023
Sources:
What to know about the strike at Butler Hospital by Nish Kohli
Butler Hospital’s Striking Workers and Management Resume Talks With Federal Mediators by Lynn Arditi
Butler Hospital could struggle to hire permanent replacements for striking nurses and other health care workers by Lynn Arditi
Dana Schneider es una escritora que vive en Elmwood con su gato, Froggy. Tiene experiencia en políticas públicas y poesía, y le interesa cómo experimentamos la vida cotidiana dentro y a pesar de las estructuras que nos rodean.
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