Labor & Workers
Labor unions, workers' rights, and employment
Rhode Island is poised to pass a $1 minimum wage increase and that's not good enough
"...no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country," said FDR. "By 'business' I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I...
Hundreds rally at State House to support The Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act
“I love taking care of residents but short staffing and low wages make my job next to impossible some days,” said Victoria Mitchell, a certified nursing assistant from Hopkins Manor in North Providence who has been a caregiver for 23 yea...
House Labor bows to Senate, hears minimum wage bill with no path to $15
"It would be much better to be on a path to $15," said Alan Krinsky, the Senior Policy Analyst at the Economic Progress Institute. Rhode Island Representative David Bennett (Democrat, District 20, Warwick) surprised House Labor Chair Ana...
Senate Labor passes $1 increase in minimum wage, balks at pathway to $15
"The original bill that we had forth, which I am a cosponsor of, would have created... predictability," said Senator Gayle Goldin (Democrat, District 3, Providence). This bill "only addresses one year. This [bill] is a strategy that just...
Strike vote taken by STA/Ocean State Transit school bus workers
“The company gets paid very well with taxpayer dollars, but we get paid substandard wages. The company pays nothing towards health, vision dental or retirement benefits, but that’s not enough for this management team,” said Brittany Smit...
Butler Hospital workers picket for patient safety and to protect good jobs
“We are standing up for patient safety and protecting our good union jobs so that we can protect the high quality of care, staying true to the mission of the Hospital,” said Colleen McGovern, a Mental Health Worker at Butler. Workers at...
Caregivers picket in Pawtucket for better staffing and a living wage
Frontline caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities at The Arc of Blackstone Valley picket to demand better staffing, increased wages, dignity and respect... "We are here basically trying to get safe staffing and also to...
Teamsters Local 251 opposes Providence Journal's request for overtime exemption
The Providence Journal has requested to not have to pay overtime to employees for work performed on Sundays and Rhode Island state holidays. There will be a public hearing on October 17 with the state’s Department of Labor and Training....
Brown University graduate workers hold rally for union contract
“There are math grads teaching seven semesters of Calculus while they’re here. Does that advance my research? That’s work, and it should be treated that way,” said Max Weinreich, a third year in the PhD program in Mathematics. Over 100 B...
Democratic City Councilors propose minimum wage increase for Cranston city employees
Cranston City Council Members Steve Stycos and John Donegan introduce an ordinance to raise the minimum wage for City employees to $12.75 an hour. "It is my opinion that before we consider raises to the Mayor’s salary, or Council pay, we...