On fifth day of historic health care workers strike, Providence signals it’s ready to negotiate at all eight hospitals
By Jamie Parfitt, KGW.com
PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW) — On the fifth day of a historic health care workers strike impacting Providence facilities in Oregon, the hospital system signaled that it is now prepared to resume negotiations at all eight of its hospitals.
The strike, which includes physicians as well as nurses and other health care workers, impacts 14 different Providence hospitals and clinics throughout the state. Providence has said that the process of setting up replacement workers at its facilities delayed its ability to bargain at each of them.
According to the hospital system, all eight of its hospitals in Oregon — finally including the two largest, Providence Portland and Providence St. Vincent — "are now ready to discuss resuming mediated negotiations" with bargaining teams from the Oregon Nurses Association.
"It’s our understanding the mediators have been in conversation with union leaders, and we eagerly await their response," Providence said in a statement. "The preparations we made in advance, and the commitment of our hospital leadership teams to ensuring a smooth transition to our replacement workforce, along with the unprecedented number of ONA-represented nurses who have chosen to work, has brought us to a position where we can resume bargaining at all tables."
According to Providence, at least 600 nurses represented by ONA have chosen to work during the strike.
Since the very beginning of the strike, Providence has pushed for negotiations with hospitalist physicians at Providence St. Vincent. According to Providence, they've also negotiated with the nurses and physicians at Providence Women's Clinic. But the hospital system has been slower to resume negotiations with other units across the state — namely the ones that Providence has effectively replaced with temporary workers.
In a statement, the ONA took shots at Providence for those delays, and called on the hospital system to take the bargaining process seriously as talks resume.
"We are happy that Providence has finally decided to do the right thing and join the nearly 5,000 striking frontline caregivers at the bargaining table to move this process forward in order to reach a fair contract and end the strike," ONA said, in part. "Clearly, the pressure from the strike is working.
"As 5,000 frontline caregivers picket on sidewalks across Oregon, Providence has been spending an estimated $25.39 million per week on replacement nurses — approximately $1,400 per replacement nurse per day. This does not include the immeasurable cost of the replacement hospitalists and other caregivers from Providence St. Vincent and the Providence Women's Clinics."
The ONA has said that it is pushing to address unsafe staffing levels at Providence facilities, disparities in health insurance coverage and benefits, and market-competitive wages to attract and retain skilled health care workers.
