By Tessa Roy, WPRO News

Members of the United Nurses and Allied Professionals (UNAP) were back outside Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s Hospitals on Monday for an informational picket, days before their negotiators are set to resume contract discussions with the hospitals’ parent company Lifespan.

“We want a contract that retains the staff here at the hospital. One of our primary concerns was staff turnover, retention, safety, staffing, and things like that,” said UNAP’s treasurer William Deware.

Last week, the union voted ‘no confidence’ in Lifespan CEO Timothy Babineau and Rhode Island Hospital President Margaret Van Bree. The union also authorized its bargaining committee to issue a 10-day strike notice if necessary, but nurses on the picket lines on Monday said they didn’t want to see another strike.

“We don’t want a strike. We’re sweating out here. We don’t want to do this,” said Rhode Island Hospital nurse Patricia Gillis. “People are losing money.”

“I’m always optimistic. I don’t think anyone wants to put the patients’ safety at risk. We all want to be there at the bedside for the patients and do what’s right for them,” added Hasbro nurse Tracie Galloway.

Rhode Island Hospital issued a statement saying it “looks forward to resuming discussions with UNAP’s bargaining committee on Wednesday and, as always, is committed to a contract that reflects the value of our UNAP-represented employees.”

“During these months-long talks, we have demonstrated responsiveness and flexibility in addressing union leadership’s key concerns: wages and benefits. The hospital will remain focused on providing compensation that is commensurate with our market,” it stated. “Threats of another strike will not force the hospital to make decisions that could impact the long-term fiscal health of the hospital.”

The union first went on strike last month after contract disputes with Lifespan. Rhode Island Hospital has maintained that its offer to the union included “extremely competitive wage and benefits packages valued at tens of millions of dollars.”

The union, however, consistently said during the strike that they have not been offered enough. Nurses on the picket lines told reporters they are not fairly paid and don’t have proper resources or staff to safely do their jobs.