To: All RI Hospital UNAP membersFrom: Linda McDonald, RN, PresidentRe: Proposed Lifespan-Care New England merger
As you have probably heard by now, Lifespan announced last week that it is planning to acquire the Care New England health care system -- which includes Women & Infants Hospital, Kent County Hospital, and Butler Hospital. Lifespan's proposal must first be approved by both the State and Federal government, and the process is likely to take at least a year.
In the meantime, here are some questions and answers that have already come up:
Was the merger the reason why the Hospital was interested in early negotiations?The merger was never mentioned prior to or during negotiations. The reason for early negotiations, for both sides, was the opportunity to make additional improvements now, and to have economic security as we head into an economically unstable time in the world of health care and hospitals in Rhode Island. Our Union only decided to do early negotiations after 80% of our members who responded to our survey said we should.
Would we have been better off negotiating next year?In light of the possible merger, it is more important than ever to have secured our wages, benefits, and contractual rights for the next four years. Several of the terms of our contract, including wages, are generally better than those offered at Care New England hospitals. By negotiating early rather than next year, we will not have to worry about being pressured to accept a lower economic package or fewer contractual protections.
What would a merger mean for our contract?Our contract will remain in full force and effect and will not be affected by a merger.
Does this mean that UNAP will merge with the union at Women & Infants Hospital?If this merger is approved, there will be four unions in Lifespan -- UNAP, Teamsters, 1199, and RIFT -- with a total of over 6,500 members. We have no plans to merge with any other union, and we would only merge with another union if our members voted to do so. However, we do plan to work very closely with the other unions, to make sure that all our members have the best possible wages, benefits, and contractual rights.
What would a merger mean to our seniority rights?Each hospital in Lifespan and Care New England will be a separate facility with a separate union contract and separate seniority lists. Seniority rights at RI Hospital are now defined as time worked at Rhode Island Hospital. So even if other hospitals come into Lifespan, they will not have Rhode Island Hospital seniority. If Lifespan someday decides that they want to combine services or departments between hospitals, they will have to negotiate the details with our Union.
Is the merger a good idea or not?Before we can answer this question, we will need to know more about Lifespan's plans. Our top priority as a Union will be to ensure that Lifespan is committed to creating a hospital system in Rhode Island that provides the best possible conditions for health professionals to provide the best possible care for patients. Because there will be a lengthy public review of the proposal, we will have plenty of time to evaluate the plan, raise any concerns that we might have, and decide whether to support or oppose the plan.