Providence has warned striking nurses in Oregon that they could risk losing their healthcare benefits if the walkout does not end by the end of the month.
In a message to striking workers Feb. 13, which was shared with Becker's, management said "given the extended timeline of the strike, healthcare benefits will lapse for striking caregivers as of Feb. 28."
Providence added that workers will receive information about COBRA in the mail, and benefits for striking workers who return to work by Feb. 28 will not be suspended.
Nearly 5,000 employees across 11 bargaining units — including nurses at eight Providence hospitals in Oregon, as well as some physicians at Portland-based Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and the Providence Women's Clinic — went on strike beginning Jan. 10 in what is estimated to be the largest healthcare strike in Oregon's history.
While some bargaining units have approved new labor deals, nurses from Providence St. Vincent, Providence Portland, Providence Milwaukie, Providence Willamette Falls, Providence Newberg, Providence Hood River, Providence Seaside and Providence Medford remain on strike and without ratified agreements.
Providence said the health system and the nurses' union, the Oregon Nurses Association, have been clear since the beginning of the strike that benefits for striking workers would not continue indefinitely.
The ONA criticized the move.
"Threatening to strip health insurance from nurses and their families, including children, while delaying and prolonging contract negotiations, is shameful and inexcusable," the union wrote in a Feb. 13 news release in response to the message from Providence. "This callous action underscores Providence's prioritization of profits over the well-being of caregivers and the patients they serve."