Butler Hospital is focused on negotiating an agreement with SEIU 1199 NE that will provide a competitive Total Rewards package that reflects the great work of employees while ensuring financial sustainability for the organization. We want to be sure that both Butler and our employees are in the best possible position to support our patients and community for many years to come.
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.
We are extremely disappointed that the union has chosen to strike rather than work at the bargaining table to reach a fair and sustainable contract. If a strike does indeed come to pass, Butler Hospital will remain open and ready to care for our community. Full operational contingency plans with replacement workers are in place, and we’ll begin to activate those as needed in the coming days.
It is still our hope to come to an agreement before the strike date arrives, and our negotiating team is ready and willing to continue discussions when SEIU 1199 NE indicates they are ready to work together.
