News

Read the latest proposal summary from the June 5th negotiations.

As part of offering a Total Rewards package that is both competitive for employees and sustainable for the organization, Butler is proposing that current Butler employees continue to participate in the current pension plan with no changes.

We’ll be providing periodic updates on what’s happening at negotiations. Get the latest news, updates, and proposal information.

I’m writing to you not just as President of Butler Hospital, but as someone whose heart and history are deeply rooted in this place. Over forty years ago, I walked these halls as a young occupational therapist, learning from the very people who made Butler the extraordinary institution it is.

Today, Thursday, May 29, Butler Hospital and SEIU 1199 NE reconvened for negotiations. Once again, despite 5 hours of preparation, the Union’s proposal made no movement on healthcare or retirement, despite demanding wage increases that average 25% over only 18 months.

Butler Hospital and SEIU 1199 NE reconvened for contract negotiations, facilitated by federal mediators. The hospital has put forward a comprehensive proposal that addresses items that we know to be priorities for Butler workers, such as wages, benefits, and retirement.

Butler Hospital and SEIU 1199 NE reconvened for contract negotiations today. While the Hospital remains committed to productive dialogue, we are concerned by the union’s apparent lack of advanced preparation for today’s session, and its continued focus on internal union matters such as changes to new hire orientation, rather than on issues central to our employees’ core priorities—such as wages, retirement benefits, and healthcare.

Butler Hospital and SEIU 1199 NE will resume contract negotiations on Wednesday, May 28. We are returning to the table with a continued commitment to productive dialogue and the goal of reaching a fair and sustainable agreement.

At Butler Hospital, our top priority remains the safety, well-being, and compassionate care of our patients and their families. We are fully committed to maintaining these standards throughout the ongoing strike by SEIU 1199 NE.

We recognize the concerns raised by members of 1199 SEIU NE and respect their right to make their voices heard. However, the public deserves the full picture of what’s happening.

As you are aware, tomorrow morning, Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 6:00am, Butler employees represented by SEIU 1199 NE will be going out on strike. Please know we have worked hard to try to reach a satisfactory agreement with the union, but so far have been unsuccessful in these efforts.

As the deadline for reaching an agreement and avoiding a strike gets closer, we want to address some important facts and clear up any confusion about the most recent proposals put forward by both sides.

While we are committed to reaching an agreement with a strike only one week away, we will now prepare to ensure continuity of our care for our patients.

As many of you are aware, Butler’s negotiations with SEIU 1199 NE have continued this week with assistance from a mediator at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). The hospital has continued to bargain in good faith, with the continued goal of reaching an agreement that acknowledges the important work of our dedicated team members while ensuring the hospital’s financial stability in a political and economic environment that will make things very difficult over the coming years.

This afternoon, Butler Hospital put forward its most lucrative proposal to date, which addresses the key issues that delegates and employees have indicated are their top priorities: increasing wages for those who need it most, working collaboratively on workplace safety, opportunities for education and training that lead to career advancement, and access to affordable health insurance options.

Butler Hospital is focused on negotiating an agreement with SEIU 1199 NE for Butler employees. We aren’t going to be distracted by the union’s tactics at other Care New England Operating Units – we’re focused on you. We want to reach a competitive Total Rewards package that reflects your great work while ensuring financial sustainability for our organization.

On April 29th, SEIU 1199 NE delayed proceedings into the early afternoon (despite having two weeks to prepare), provided a counterproposal with minimal movement on key economic items, and then presented a strike notice when Butler’s negotiating team declined to immediately respond. They have indicated the strike will begin May 15th at 6:00 a.m.

As part of offering a Total Rewards package that is both competitive for employees and sustainable for the organization, Butler is proposing that new employees hired after 12/31/2025 be enrolled in a 403(b) retirement plan with a 6% company match in lieu of participation in the current Butler pension plan. The proposed change would not affect current employees. This document separates the fact from fiction about retirement plans.

One of the key changes to the hospital’s April 15th economic proposal was an increase in the starting salary for all positions to a minimum of $17 per hour, applied before the Hospital’s proposed across-the-board increases.

Unfortunately, violence against healthcare workers is an increasing problem nationally and locally. Healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than employees in other industries.

To more clearly illustrate how pay increases would work over the life of the contract, we’re providing examples using fictional employees from each Bargaining Unit.

During yesterday’s negotiations, Butler put forward our initial economic proposals on wages, benefits and retirement. These proposals acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our team members, providing for a competitive total rewards package that includes wage increases along with competitive health and retirement benefits plans that reward our team members while also remaining sustainable for the hospital in the current unstable political and economic environment.

In the coming weeks, we will begin negotiations for new contracts with our colleagues represented by 1199SEIU. Before that process begins, I want to first and foremost express gratitude for the hard work and dedication that all our employees and staff have displayed over the past few years. You have acted with professionalism and compassion as behavioral health needs in the community have evolved over the past few years in the wake of the pandemic. On behalf of myself and our patients: Thank you.