Oregon’s largest nurses union says it’s poised to launch a massive strike at Providence hospitals and clinics across the state to pressure the health care provider in stalled contract negotiations.
The Oregon Nurses Association announced Wednesday that nearly 5,000 health care workers at seven hospitals and six clinics had voted to authorize strikes over pay and working conditions. While no walkouts are currently planned, the strike authorization votes have become a routine bargaining tactic as the nurses union has become increasingly emboldened in the wake of the pandemic.
The latest strike authorization vote occurred on Tuesday at Providence Seaside after health care workers at other hospitals and clinics took similar actions over the last two months.
In June, 3,000 nurses at Providence went on strike at six locations in a particularly acrimonious episode between the multistate hospital system and the union.
A new strike is a “last resort,” according to a union press statement. If it is called it’ll be the largest in Oregon history and will be the first to include recently organized doctors, according to the union.
The nurses union listed its demands in a press statement, including improved staffing standards and more competitive compensation packages to recruit and retain workers. The union also accused Providence of paying its executives hefty salaries while short-changing patient care.
“From dangerous practices like understaffing critical care units and emergency rooms that delay care and endanger patients, Providence has ignored its responsibilities to workers and Oregonians,” the union said in the statement.
Providence responded with a statement indicating that its bargaining teams are committed to negotiating competitive agreements with each of its workplaces.
“A strike would not be in the best interest of our patients and communities across the state,” according to the statement. “Union leaders know this. However, Providence is making the necessary preparations to ensure maintenance of safe care in our communities should ONA-represented caregivers strike at any of our facilities.”
Already, Providence has made generous offers that include double-digit percentage wage increases, according to the statement.
Nurses at Providence St. Vincent typically make roughly six-figure incomes and would see average increases of 16% through 2025, according to the statement.