To begin negotiations, Local 251 President Paul Santos gave the following Opening Statement to Lou Sperling and management’s bargaining committee. Good morning. We’re glad to be here and look forward to productive negotiations on a new contract. Before we begin, I want to make a few things clear about our […]
Members at Rhode Island Hospital voted unanimously to approve the committee that will meet with management to bargain our new contract.
The Negotiating Committee includes Local 251 officers and representatives as well as Teamsters who work at the Hospital, including: Bob Antaya (Facilities), Armando Brasil (CNA), Decio Goulart (Laundry), Brooke Reeves (Clerical), Gary DaSilva (MRI) and Antonio Suazo (Transport).
The Local 251 officers and representatives on the Negotiating Committee include: Secretary-Treasurer Matthew Taibi, President Paul Santos, Contract Coordinator David Robbins, Business Agent Eddie Carreiro and Negotiator/Spokesperson Stefan Ostrach.
Contract negotiations will begin on October 21, but members are already getting involved.
You have filled out contract surveys, spoken out on the issues and made your voices heard.
Members identified higher wages, better retirement benefits, and protecting our healthcare as the top economic priorities.
You also named job security, understaffing, and harassment among top issues that need to be addressed.
Instead of dealing with these problems, management said the current contract should be extended for another year, with no changes in contract language. Management called for a one-time bonus and no wage increases.
The Contract Action Team (CAT) voted unanimously against this approach. It’s time to deal with members’ concerns and negotiate a new contract.
The Contract Action Team includes more than 50 stewards and volunteers from different departments and shifts. Their job is to keep members informed and united throughout negotiations.
Local 251 members elected a Contract Negotiating Committee as part of the voting for shop stewards in February.
The Negotiating Committee and the CAT are going through the surveys and putting together contract proposals. This includes proposals to protect members’ job security and rights as the Hospital prepares to implement EPIC.
The Bargaining Platform will be presented to the members at an important Contract Meeting on Saturday, October 18.
Stay informed. Stay united!
Click here to download the 2-page Contract Update.
Read more here on what Rhode Island Hospital members have to say.
FS Providence and Pawtucket school bus members are out of work, due to COVID-19 and school closure. Calls have been about dues and handling that situation. Elmwood Adult Day is shut down since March 17th for fear of possible spread amongst participants in their care. At RIH, we’re trying to […]
The Film Tax Credit legislation was signed into law, relaxing some requirements of big productions spending over $10,000,000 in RI, to be able to receive tax credits as part of the program. Our Sunday & Holiday Overtime exemption bill was heard by both Labor Committees at the RI statehouse, with […]
I hope you are all well and following the guidelines that are in place to remain that way. These are unprecedented times we are in right now due to COVID-19 outbreak also known as the “Coronavirus”. The measures we are taking in order to protect ourselves and our families is […]
I filed charges against Bevilacqua Asphalt in July of 2019 regarding Steve Bevilacqua barring a former employee (engaged in a prior organizing campaign with the company) from his plant. The former Bevilacqua driver was working for another employer and went to the plant to pick up a load of asphalt. […]
The Current Pandemic involving the COVID-19 Virus has affected our members on the job in ways like never before seen. In the form of unprecedented layoffs, changing the manner in which they do their jobs on a daily basis; anxiety, stress, and uncertainty at home and in the workplace. Many […]
Petro: Four contracts we have with Petro expire March 31, 2020. We had already scheduled a series of meetings this month to bargain the successor contracts. We’ve continued to meet over the last two weeks on a remote basis. Written proposals are exchanged by email, and we use conference calling […]
ABF: Layoffs in effect. 2 of 3 Utility runs cancelled due to the Corona Pandemic. All Road jobs that can be converted to Meet and Turns will be done until the crisis is over. Sanctioned by the IBT. Airgas: Business levels slowing down but all employees are working. Very little […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.