Women and Infants Hospital prepared to deliver excellent patient care in event of 1199SEIU strike

Union issued strike notice today despite generous hospital offer; hospital contingency planning is well underway

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — November 27, 2024. Women & Infants Hospital, which delivers more than 8,700 babies in Rhode Island each year and is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns, is prepared to provide exceptional care for patients in the event that 1199SEIU chooses to strike.

“We are very disappointed that 1199SEIU has notified us that they intend to have employees walk out on December 12,” said Shannon Sullivan, President and Chief Operating Officer for Women & Infants Hospital. “We will continue negotiating in hopes the union changes its mind, but patients can rest assured that the hospital is well-prepared to provide excellent care for all needs if there is a strike.”

Women & Infants has been negotiating in good faith for two months and put forth a generous proposal. The hospital’s current proposal includes a $19 million investment over the next 3 years by the hospital in employees’ wages and pension alone:

• A plan to voluntarily increase the employer pension contribution to 10.7% of an employee’s salary.
• A minimum 5.5% wage increase over 3 years for all union members. Some union members will receive even more with step increases, differentials and other payments.
• Robust health plan options at low or no costs to employees.

The hospital will remain open and provide excellent care if the union moves forward with its poland. The hospital has contracted with a highly-respected national firm to provide nursing, other direct care, and support services over the course of 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.

Women & Infants doctors will continue to see patients for scheduled care in the hospital and at outpatient clinics. This includes prenatal visits, fertility care, cancer treatments, OBGYN checkups, mammograms, and other screening and diagnostic tests. The emergency department will be open, the neonatal intensive care unit will continue caring for the smallest newborns, and the labor and delivery unit will be open and ready for scheduled and unscheduled deliveries.

The state Department of Health will review the hospital’s plans to operate safely.

“As always, the health and safety of our patients is our physicians’ and organization’s top priority,” said Dr. Lisa Rameaka, Chief Medical Officer of Women & Infants. “Our doctors will be in the hospital and in our clinics providing patients with the outstanding care that Women & Infants is known for, regardless of whether a strike occurs.”

Hospital leaders have offered to continue negotiating to reach an agreement without a strike that would harm staff financially and force the hospital to spend at least $9 million to continue operations. The union’s actions mean that staff will not be paid for any shifts missed due to a strike.

“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,” Sullivan said. “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. ”

The hospital will provide patients and the public with additional information over the coming days if the union continues with its plans.

About Women & Infants Hospital

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. A major teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine, Women & Infants is the ninth largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country and the largest in New England with approximately 8,700 deliveries per year. Women & Infants is a Designated Baby-Friendly® USA hospital and was recently ranked by Newsweek as one of America's Best Maternity Hospitals in 2024. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ranked 11 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Medical Schools specialty ranking.

Women & Infants has been designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiography; a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology; and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence. It is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high-risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network, and Pelvic Floors Disorders Network, as well as the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group.