PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Providence City Council President Rachel Miller wants to amend a city ordinance that would exempt striking union workers from receiving costly noise violations.
The amendment to the ordinance will be introduced at Thursday night’s council meeting.
Workers at Butler Hospital, represented by SEIU 1199NE, have been on strike since May 15. Staff are demanding higher wages, stronger job safety measures and better benefits, and continue to walk the picket line amid a contract dispute with Butler and its parent company, Care New England.
Earlier this week, the hospital started posting job listings to permanently replace the unionized workers, which hospital leadership said was a “necessary decision” amid the “ongoing indefinite” labor strike.
Last month, 12 News learned several striking union workers had been handed $500 fines for violating the city’s noise ordinance.
In a May 21 interview with 12 News, Mayor Brett Smiley said the fines were issued after workers had been informed about the noise ordinance and were asked not to use amplified sound, but did not comply.
“Unlike a strike outside of Rhode Island Hospital or some other institutional zone, this is in the heart of a neighborhood with an abutting childcare center, an assisted living facility, and residential neighbors,” Smiley said last month.
Miller herself picketed with union workers outside Butler Hospital at least three times since the strike began, according to Providence City Council spokesperson Marc Boyd.
In a statement to 12 News on Wednesday, Miller said the ordinance “was never intended to quiet people fighting for their families.”
“Butler’s workers are eager to return to the jobs they love—as soon as they win a fair contract that ends poverty-level wages and unsafe conditions. We won’t punish them in the meantime,” Miller said. “This amendment makes it clear: Providence will not use selective enforcement of the noise ordinance to silence workers standing up for their rights.”
The city has issued six violations to date, according to Smiley spokesperson Josh Estrella.
Estrella said that while the mayor “absolutely supports the rights of workers to protest and picket,” the amendment as it’s currently written “would limit the city’s ability to protect public health and mitigate harmful speech.”
“At a time when radical groups are proliferating across the country, the ability for city and state governments to place reasonable boundaries to ensure public safety and quality of life is an important tool that helps public officials balance the priorities of all stakeholders in our community,” Estrella explained. “It should also be noted that this amendment creates an unequal application of the law as it exempts a particular group, while another individual outside of this group engaging in the same act would fall subject to a summons.”
Councilors are also scheduled to vote on a resolution in solidarity with union workers, who have been invited to City Hall for Thursday night’s meeting.
The resolution calls on both Care New England and Butler Hospital leadership to “immediately return to the bargaining table in good faith and negotiate a fair contract that protects worker dignity and public health.”
The council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Council chambers on the third floor of Providence City Hall.
Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app.
Follow us on social media:
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Daily Roundup
SIGN UP NOW
if ( window.checkSizeClasses && window.checkSizeClasses instanceof Function) {
window.checkSizeClasses();
}
