The United Nurses and Allied Professionals, representing the nurses and health care workers at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, Roger Williams Medical Center, and Prospect Home Health and Hospice, yesterday held a vote where members overwhelmingly voted to give the union authorization to issue a 10 day strike notice if Prospect continues to drag their feet at the bargaining table. The UNAP and Prospect management have been bargaining for new contracts for months, but the for-profit Prospect CharterCare refuses to negotiate contracts that provide sufficient wages, benefits and working conditions for these health care workers. 

“This vote makes abundantly clear that these nurses and health care workers are not willing to accept the offensive offers put forth by Prospect management,” stated Chris Callaci, UNAP’s General Counsel. “Let’s not forget – this is a for-profit company that came into Rhode Island and used their hospitals, including Fatima Hospital, Roger Williams Medical Center, and Prospect Home Health and Hospice, as collateral to borrow $1.15 billion dollars. They then turned around and paid half a billion dollars in dividends to top shareholders. Now they want to sit in front of these health care workers and tell them they can’t afford to properly invest in them? Their proposals are a slap in the face to the health care workers, and to the patients who depend on their services. Based on today’s vote, it’s clear that our members won’t stand for Prospect’s unabashed greed any longer.”

Prospect CharterCare paid out $600mil to shareholders, got penalized by the feds & is under investigation over St. Joe's pension collapse. Now they're making false promises about Memorial in exchange for more money. We call BS. pic.twitter.com/Py8oMrgPxp

— UNAP (@WeAreUNAP) June 7, 2018