Talks have been contentious, with workers going on strike and picketing.
Below, a timeline of events between Lifespan and United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5098:
June 30: The workers’ contract expires.
July 17: Lifespan announces it has paid $10 million to a temp agency to replace workers during a strike.
July 19: Workers reject a contract offer from Lifespan.
July 23: Workers return to the bargaining table, per an order from a federal mediator, but “the union rejected a restructured proposal from the hospital that included generous wage increases ranging from 9 [percent] to 25 percent over four years,” Lifespan spokesperson David Levesque told the Providence Journal.
“UNAP leadership submitted wage increases of up to 28 percent and added significant additional economic proposals that rendered their offer simply unrealistic,” Mr. Levesque said.
With no deal reached in the morning, workers begin a three-day strike at 3 p.m. The strike is followed by a one-day lockout.
July 27: Workers return to work after the strike and lockout.
Aug. 2: Workers vote “no confidence” in leadership, and agree to leave the option open for a strike if they can’t reach a deal with Lifespan.
Aug. 6: Workers picket before negotiations.
Aug. 8: Both sides return to the bargaining table. Lifespan and the union do not reach a contract agreement, but the hospital says there was progress, according to WPRI. Mr. Levesque tells the TV station the hospital accepted “in full” a union proposal to “create a joint labor/management committee on staffing, equipment and supplies.” He says the hospital has also given the union a new wages and benefits package to consider.
Aug. 15: Both sides are scheduled to return to the bargaining table.
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