Providence hospitals across Oregon poised to strike in January

Published 12:00 pm Monday, December 30, 2024

Nearly 5,000 nurses, doctors and other frontline medical workers are poised to strike in January as part of what could be the largest health care strike in Oregon history if a deal is not reached. 

The Oregon Nurses Association announced Monday, Dec. 30, that its members at Providence hospitals and clinics across Oregon are planning to walk off the job Jan. 10, as they continue to negotiate a new contract. 

Providence is one Oregon’s largest health care systems. The strike would include nurses, hospitalists and other frontline health workers at Providence hospitals and clinics across the state, including St. Vincent Medical Center near Beaverton, as well as Providence Portland, Providence Milwaukie, Providence Willamette Falls, Providence Newberg, Providence Hood River, Providence Seaside, Providence Medford and the Providence Women’s Clinic.

The announcement comes after months of bargaining between the union and Providence over pay, benefits, scheduling practices and staffing levels, which nurses say put patients in danger. Providence nurses also went on strike at six locations in June 2024. 

“Some of us have been bargaining with Providence for more than a year and are working without a contract,” the union said in a statement announcing the strike. “Providence has rejected our common-sense proposals to improve patient care and safety by not committing to safe staffing and other critical patient safety issues in our contracts. That’s why we’re going on strike starting January 10. When healthcare workers are asked to do more with less, patient lives are at stake. Providence has pushed nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals to work under unsafe staffing conditions.”

In response, Providence released the following statement to health care workers on Monday: 

Dear Caregivers,

Today, our bargaining teams received 10-day notices from Oregon Nurses Association detailing their plans to hold strikes at all eight Providence Oregon hospitals. Hospitalists, OB hospitalists and palliative care physicians at Providence St. Vincent, and represented caregivers at Providence Women’s Clinic, are also included in the strike notice. The work stoppages will begin at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 10.

I want to start by thanking all those who worked so long and hard to avoid this work stoppage. Since late summer the union has been forecasting and planning for this large strike in January. It takes two sides to reach agreements, and I believe our teams were fully committed to finding solutions. Unfortunately, the union was less willing to compromise to find some middle ground. We had multiple conflicting signals from union negotiators and teams in response to our proposals, when they responded at all.

We have competitive offers on the table for each hospital bargaining unit, including double-digit pay increases for hospital nurses representing more than $12,000 a year for a typical nurse, and staffing language in the contracts that takes acuity into account (on top of our commitment to follow Oregon’s staffing law). We have addressed other concerns brought to us and included other incentives in each contract, including the contract terms offered to physician bargaining units. But, instead of working toward a solution, union leaders have resorted to another strike that will delay resolution.

Once again, our leadership teams’ attention will turn to caring for our community during this work stoppage. We have been transparent with union leaders that in the event of a work stoppage, bargaining stops to support our priority of ensuring we continue to provide excellent patient care.

So, to meet our commitments to our communities, we’ve secured replacement workers and identified other strategies to help us care for our patients. Those represented caregivers who wish to come to work and not strike will be welcomed to help. We will provide information on how to report for work.

A simple thank you is not enough to recognize the core leaders and caregivers who will be stepping up to care for our patients during this time. Your dedication to our Mission and values is admirable, as is your commitment to ensuring our ministries remain sustainable.

There will be trying times ahead, and we will work through them together. Just as in previous job actions, we expect each caregiver to respect the rights of everyone else to make their own personal decision, whether they join a picket line or cross it. It takes all of us to ensure we have a workplace free from bullying.

Finally, we will keep you informed in the days ahead – please watch your inboxes for updates. And please know that I am personally grateful for your commitment that shines so brightly – even during the toughest times.

Jennifer Burrows, RN

Chief Executive, Providence Oregon

KOIN 6 News, a news partner with this newspaper, contributed to this report.