STRIKE ALERT: The Largest Nurses Strike in Oregon History is Scheduled For Next Week!

From the Oregon AFL-CIO:

It is once again time for Oregon Labor to stand together in solidarity with striking workers. Last week, nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association at six different Providence Health Systems locations around the state gave notice that they would go on a three day strike from Tuesday, June 18 through Thursday, June 20.

Nurses are demanding Providence give them a fair contract that is in compliance with Oregon’s Safe Staffing law and prioritizes affordable, quality healthcare. Nurses are also demanding that Providence executives increase their focus on recruiting, retaining, and respecting frontline nurses. Despite four days of negotiations, an agreement was not reached.

An injury to one of us is an injury to all of us and it's critical that Oregon's workers and unions rally behind the striking ONA members until a fair contract is reached and ratified. When we join each other's fights, we have the strength in numbers to accomplish anything.

Here's how you can support the strike:

View the Strike Map here.

Sign up for a shift on the picket line.

Use ONA’s social media toolkit to help spread the word about the strike.

Sign the public petition to put pressure on Providence.

Donate to the strike fund to help support striking workers and help hold the line.

As we saw during the wave of strikes in the Pacific Northwest last year, our solidarity and our unwavering support of any striking worker will help to push management towards a fair settlement. Please stand together with ONA nurses at Providence in their fight to fix a broken health care system and to win the fair contract they deserve.

Please click here to see the latest news about this strike.

 

A report from the front lines at Providence Hood River and at Providence hospitals across Oregon

On April 10th, the nurses who work at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital met with their employer for their eighth bargaining session since negotiations began on Dec 18th, 2023. The result was the same consistent foot dragging from management as the previous 7 sessions. Providence has taken a very hard line by refusing to meaningful engage around the nurse’s top priorities: Safe Staffing language, affordable health insurance, market-based wages and differentials, and modest increases to the current sub-standard annual accruals.

After the full day bargaining session, a group of about 50 nurses and community members held a rally out front of Providence’s Hood River Hospital to let the community know that the nurses were going to keep standing together for safe staffing to protect patient care standards, and to hold the line for market-based wages and benefits. State Representative Travis Nelson, also a nurse, joined the rally along with Tammie Cline, ONA’s Statewide Presence. The rally was also attended by Teamster’s local 670 and Teamsters Local 223. Additional bargaining sessions are scheduled for April 29th, followed by two mediated sessions on May 6th and May 13th.

The Nurses are one of six bargaining units that are currently in negotiations with Providence. A total of over 3000 nurses at 6 different Hospitals are currently working to reach tentative agreements for new CBAs across the state.

In solidarity,

Timothy Welp (he, him)
Oregon Nurses Association Labor Representative

Some Photos From The Front Lines Of Union Organizing

IATSE members employed in off-Broadway productions are on the move!

REI workers are organizing!

Women trade unionists from Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa met at a World

 Federation of Trade Unions meeting.

Another victory for the UAW!

4000 Volkswagon workers in Tennessee are organizing!

Nurses represented by National Nurses United (NNU) at two hospitals in the 

Kansas City, Kansas region rallied outside Research Medical Center last week to 

kick off contract negotiations as they fight for improved staffing, safety and services.

Note: I am sorry that I did not keep better track of the sources for the photos above and the texts given. Most of the photos came from the AFL-CIO, I think. The photo of the women members of the World Federation of Trade Unions came from a digest sent out by the WFTU. The other photos either came from the unions mentioned, thhe metro Washington Labor Council, or from The Red Hot Worker, a great source of clips sent out by SEIU.

Oregon Nurses Association candlelight vigil on February 13---Please come!