Nearly 5,000 employees, including nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates and nurse midwives, began an open-ended strike Jan. 10 at Providence hospitals and clinics across Oregon.
Nine things to know:
1. The walkout is estimated to be the largest healthcare strike in the state's history, according to the Oregon Nurses Association. It includes nurses at eight Providence hospitals, as well as some physicians at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and the Providence Women's Clinic, both in Portland.
2. Providence expects roughly 60 to 70 hospitalists, obstetric hospitalists and palliative care physicians to strike at St. Vincent. Other physicians at St. Vincent, including surgeons, emergency doctors and specialists, are not on strike.
3. The ONA represents nurses. Physicians and advanced practice providers at St. Vincent are represented by the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers Healthcare and staffed by the ONA.
4. Providence received notification of the strike in December, and the involved parties have blamed the other for the failed negotiations.
5. ONA has accused Providence of failing to bring meaningful offers to the bargaining table and is calling for "fair contracts, safe staffing and better patient care."
"This strike could have been avoided, and frankly, there is still time, even at this 11th hour," Anne Tan Piazza, executive director of the association, said at a news conference Jan. 9, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. "We need Providence to stop refusing to negotiate and come back to the table."
6. In a statement shared with Becker's Jan. 8, Providence said it "cares deeply for our caregivers and patients, and we've always been committed to offering access to safe, quality healthcare. We have negotiated in good faith for more than a year to reach agreements with the Oregon Nurses Association."
Providence said its latest offer includes:
- A 20% raise over three years for acute-care nurses at hospitals, with a double-digit pay increase after contract ratification.
- A physician contract offering pay raises and incentives of at least $20,000 to $30,000 for "many" union physicians.
- Up to $5,000 bonuses for hospital nurses working under expired contracts.
7. At the Jan. 9 news conference, union representatives said pay and staffing remain key roadblocks, according to the Capital Chronicle, which reported the union seeks competitive pay reflecting employees' work and base staffing levels on patient acuity. Providence maintains that its contract language accounts for acuity.
8. With both sides unable to reach agreements, Providence said it is bringing on 2,000 temporary replacement workers to hospitals.
9. The health system said it is unable to bring in replacements for physicians and providers. Therefore, the system is capping the number of patients at St. Vincent and will defer or reschedule procedures requiring hospitalist support, as needed. Longer delays are expected in the St. Vincent emergency department.
Of the six Providence women's clinics, two are expected to remain open during the strike, according to reporting by KOIN TV.