PORTLAND, Ore. – Less than 48 hours from the largest healthcare strike in Oregon history, pressure is mounting on Providence, who still refuses to bargain with more than 95% of their nearly 5,000 employees. The healthcare strike in Oregon will impact 8 hospitals and 6 clinics across the state of Oregon.
Elected officials are publicly calling on Providence to return to the table. The Speaker of the Oregon House, Rep. Julie Fahey and the Senate President, Rob Wagener were the two most recent elected officials to contact Providence executives in a letter (linked above). Citing “negative consequences for patients, caregivers, and Oregonians as a whole”, the two legislative leaders wrote that “We’re asking Providence executives to agree to return to the bargaining table and reengage in the process in good faith.”
The letter comes on the heels of multiple members of congress calling on Providence to bargain including Senator Ron Wyden, Senator Jeff Merkley, Representative Suzanne Bonamici, Representative Andrea Salinas and Representative Earl Blumenauer.
A group of Women’s Healthcare Associates OB-GYNs and Certified Nurse-Midwives wrote a letter to Providence leadership calling on them to get back to the bargaining table (full letter below) writing “[OB Hospitalists] go above and beyond, staying to help care for these patients even when they are not being paid to do so.” They went on to write: “Similarly, we cannot provide the care that we do without our team of nurses. Replacing them with strike-breaking nurses who are unfamiliar with our protocols and providers will jeopardize the safety of our patients at Providence.”
While Providence has publicly claimed to be willing to negotiate with their doctors, their latest offer had minimal substantive changes from their previous proposals.
Some striking workers have been negotiating with Providence for more than 15 months and have been working without contracts for more than a year. ONA has been clear from the beginning: we will continue to be available to bargain with Providence on behalf of our 5,000 members to avert the strike or end the strike.
Providence needs to get serious about negotiations, return to the table, and settle fair contracts for their frontline caregivers.
Letter from a group of Women’s Healthcare Associates OB-GYNs and Certified Nurse-Midwives to Providence leadership calling on them to get back to the bargaining table
January 7, 2025
Dear Dr. Raymond Moreno, Dr. Benjamin Leblanc, Dr. Judy Marvin, Rachel Blackburn, and Jennifer Burrows:
As Women’s Healthcare Associates OB-GYNs and Certified Nurse-Midwives caring for our patients at Providence St. Vincent, we are writing to urge you to return to the bargaining table with nurses, hospitalists, and Providence Women’s Clinic providers to avoid the upcoming strike.
We rely on our team of nurses and OB hospitalists in order to provide safe care to our patients. The OB hospitalists are integral to our patients’ care in emergencies. They go above and beyond, staying to help care for these patients even when they are not being paid to do so. Furthermore, the hospitalists help us focus on acute patients by evaluating triage patients on labor and delivery. They are absolutely essential to the care of our patients. Similarly, we cannot provide the care that we do without our team of nurses. Replacing them with strike-breaking nurses who are unfamiliar with our protocols and providers will jeopardize the safety of our patients at Providence.
We are extremely concerned about the lack of adequate replacement providers should the strike occur. At WHA, we already care for a high volume of high-acuity patients, and placing the burden on us and other non-Providence practices to care for an additional volume of patients is unreasonable and unsafe. This increases the risk of poor outcomes for all of our patients, and it can be easily avoided.
The best option for the health and safety of our patients and our community is to resume negotiations with ALL nurses, hospitalists and providers to avoid this strike. Providence has the power to avoid the harm that will inevitably result if it occurs. As an organization providing health care, you have a moral obligation to put patient care and safety first, and a legal obligation to return to the bargaining table. Return and bargain in good faith so that lives are not at stake.
Sincerely,
Brooke Andrews, MD
Jennifer Bishop, CNM
Reid Bondurant, CNM
Thomas Brennan, MD
Rhonda Chick, CNM
Kendra Elliotgreen, CNM
Sarah Fausel, MD
Cassie Hodge, CNM
Angela Kondrat, MD
Megan Lewis, CNM
Michelle Monnie, MD
Joana Nam, MD
Kara Richardson, MD
Ashlee Walter, CNM
