the Friday, June 7th press conference when ONA nurses announced a 3 day ULP
strike at 6 hospitals statewide starting on June 18th at 6 am.
After more than 60 bargaining sessions across 6 bargaining units and 3 ½ days of mediation, Providence decided to officially end their participation in mediated bargaining at 12:54 p.m. on Friday after refusing to meet with the bargaining unit chairs to receive the union’s 10-day strike notice. This was greatly disappointing but not surprising as Providence has been unwilling to meaningfully talk about many of our top proposals since bargaining started.
Broad areas where management has proposed huge take aways or failed to meaningfully engage:
• Nurse Staffing article: management continues to make regressive proposals and tries to gut our current contract language around acuity and intensity. Prov is trying to strip down HB 2697.
• Health Benefits: management refused to decrease deductibles or out of pocket costs, and increased the percentage that premiums can increase year to year.
• NO discussion of Annual Leave increases.
• Management did offer modest wage increases to base pay but failed to discuss most differentials. Management’s wage proposal still would leave us behind market standards.
• Management agreed to a 3-year CBA but maintained the March 31, 2027 expiration date.
Bottom line, after months of articulating our members top priorities, management has not engaged in any meaningful or productive way. Our leadership team decided to deliver the 10-day strike notice, again delivering the message that Providence needs to negotiate with Hood River nurses on safe staffing issues, affordable healthcare, competitive wages and differentials, and modest increases in annual leave.
Timothy Welp (he, him)
Labor Representative
Oregon Nurses Association
18765 SW Boones Ferry Road, Suite. 200
Tualatin, OR 97062
Cell: 503-748-9768
www.oregonrn.org |
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