W&I Hospital, SEIU 1199 reach tentative agreement

WOMEN & INFANTS Hospital of Rhode Island is one of the Care New England facilities that will be affected by layoffs. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY
WOMEN & INFANTS Hospital of Rhode Island is one of the Care New England facilities that will be affected by layoffs. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY

(Updated 2:23 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and SEIU 1199 New England have reached a tentative agreement on their contract negotiations, subject to ratification by the full union membership.
A ratification vote will likely be scheduled in the next week or so, according to an announcement released by the hospital on Friday morning.
The contract between the parties expired Nov. 30.
The tentative agreement averts a strike. Earlier this week, hospital employees authorized the union to deliver a strike notice to Care New England’s management in a 1,385-to-38 vote. Union members had cited staffing levels as an area of concern.
Details about the tentative agreement were unavailable.
Patrick J. Quinn, executive vice president of SEIU District 1199NE, issued the following statement:

“In the coming days, our committee will present the details of the contract and hold a ratification vote among our members. Our committee believes this is an excellent agreement that makes progress on safe staffing, good jobs and quality care at the hospital, and they are recommending that our members vote to approve it.”

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