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St. Charles nurses in Bend move forward with strike plan

Bargaining sessions are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. If those fail, a strike would start June 12.
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St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. | KRISTIAN FODEN-VENCIL/OPB
June 2, 2023

Nurses at St. Charles Health System Bend — the largest health provider and employer in Central Oregon — announced Friday they intend to strike, having submitted a legally required 10-day notice to the hospital.

The announcement is the culmination of simmering tensions between the hospital’s frontline staff and its administrators. Nurses have said there are not enough staff to meet patient demand, which they say is leading to potentially dangerous conditions.

The union and hospital have two more chances to reach an agreement to avert a possible strike. Bargaining sessions are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. If those fail, a strike would start June 12.

Should a strike start, it will be the first time nurses at the hospital have walked out since 1980. Technical workers at St. Charles went on strike for more than a week in 2021.

In response to the criticism, hospital administrators have consistently pointed to decreasing turnover among its nursing staff in recent months and a recent $5-an-hour increase in pay. The union has maintained there are still hundreds of vacant positions the hospital has not filled.

St. Charles, as with hospitals across Oregon, has struggled financially in recent years. The hospital lost $35 million last year, although it began to report positive financial figures at the start of 2023.

The potential impacts of a nursing strike on hospital operations are still unknown. A St. Charles spokesperson said last week “that our doors will remain open to provide care.”

This story is a developing story. Watch for updates on Oregon Public Broadcasting.


This article was originally published by Oregon Public Broadcasting and has been republished here with permission.

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