Nearly 5,000 front-line healthcare workers from Providence Oregon hospitals plan to begin an open-ended strike Jan. 10.
The Oregon Nurses Association issued a 10-day notice following intensive bargaining, according to a Dec. 30 news release from the union. The striking workers include physicians, nurses and other healthcare staff from all eight Providence Oregon hospitals and six clinics.
The union is urging Providence to invest in patient safety and provide competitive wages and benefits to support recruitment and retention efforts.
"ONA members remain 100% committed to bargaining for a fair contract at any time, including during the 10-day strike notice period and during a strike," the union said in the release. "In the past, Providence has refused to negotiate after a 10-day notice has been sent unlike other health systems. If they continue this unreasonable practice, there will be no way to avert the strike."
Providence Oregon has secured replacement workers and identified other strategies to maintain patient care, Chief Executive Jennifer Burrows, RN, said in a message to caregivers shared with Becker's. She said the system has communicated to union leaders that bargaining stops during a work stoppage to prioritize patient care.
"It takes two sides to reach agreements, and I believe our teams were fully committed to finding solutions," Ms. Burrows said. "Unfortunately, the union was less willing to compromise to find some middle ground."
Providence Oregon has offered double-digit pay increases for hospital nurses "representing more than $12,000 a year for a typical nurse" and included staffing language in the contracts that takes acuity into account, Ms. Burrows said.
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland and Providence Portland Medical Center have the largest number of union members involved, at 1,875 and 1,510 registered nurses, respectively. Union members at St. Vincent have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2023, according to the ONA release.
Renton, Wash.-based Providence is a 51-hospital system with approximately 122,000 employees across multiple states.