Notices recently were posted at PeaceHealth workplaces across Oregon, Washington and Alaska, reflecting an agreement by the Vancouver-based hospital system to no longer unlawfully threaten the benefits of workers who are on strike.
While the full implications of the system's agreement with the National Labor Relations Board are not clear, it appears to reinforce federal law’s existing requirement that workers cannot be punished or discriminated against for exercising their right to organize and advocate for better working conditions.
The posted notices stemmed from an unfair labor practices complaint filed by the Washington State Nurses Association in October 2023 over statements made by PeaceHealth to workers that they risked losing their health insurance coverage if a strike organized by the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professions at PeaceHealth Southwest in Vancouver and PeaceHealth St. John in Longview continued past a certain date.
Such statements are not unusual by health systems during a nurses strike, or by other employers. Employers are supposed to inform employees of expected changes in benefits, so to that extent it's normal to relay such information. The problem is when the health benefit cutoff standard used by the employer with workers who are on strike is different from what's used with any other protected activity, such as taking family leave, WSNA Labor Counsel Kelly Skahan told The Lund Report.
“They were threatening illegal retaliation,” she said. “They were treating striking workers and their benefit revocation differently than they would any other workers.”
After reviewing the situation, investigators for the National Labor Relations Board agreed with the nurses union, filing a formal administrative charge against the health system in March 2025 saying it “has been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees” despite their engaging in protected union activity.
Earlier this month PeaceHealth leaders settled the case by agreeing to not make unlawful threats again, and to post notices for 60 days in all their locations “including medical centers, clinics, campuses, administration buildings, and hospice houses in the States of Alaska, Oregon, and Washington.”
The notice states that federal law gives workers to “form, join or assist a union” and “act together with other employees for your benefit and protection,” and includes a vow by PeaceHealth leadership that “WE WILL NOT interfere with, restrain, or coerce you in the exercise of the above rights. WE WILL NOT unlawfully state you will lose health insurance coverage if you engage in union activity, including striking.”
Asked for comment, a PeaceHealth spokesperson agreed that the ruling merely reinforces existing law.
“As part of the settlement agreement, notices were posted at our facilities, and it's important to us that caregivers know about their rights. As always, we value our caregivers and remain focused on empowering them to provide the best care in communities across Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.”
