Providence ready to resume talks with striking nurses, doctors
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Nurses at several Oregon Providence hospitals and clinics have been on strike this week, just as they were in 2023. Photo: Maranie Staab/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
On the fifth day of the largest health care strike in Oregon history, Providence indicated it is ready to resume negotiation talks with the some 5,000 striking nurses and doctors across its eight hospitals.
Why it matters: Bargaining between the parties had previously been stalled for months, as unionized hospital workers hope to secure new labor contracts that address compensation, benefits and understaffing concerns.
Yes, but: This does not mean the strike is over.
- A prolonged walkout could continue to hobble care and increase emergency room wait times at one of the state's biggest hospital systems.
The latest: In a news release Tuesday, Providence said it informed federal mediators that it would begin scheduling bargaining sessions with union leaders.
- In a written response, the Oregon Nurses Associated called on Providence "to take this process seriously, come to the table with substantive offers to address the systemic issues that impact hospitals and clinics across Oregon."
Catch up quick: Roughly 5,000 nurses, doctors, midwives and advanced practitioners from Providence's eight hospitals and six women's clinics across the state began an open-ended strike last Friday.
- More than 600 unionized nurses — roughly 13% — have chosen to work during the walkout, a higher number than in previous strikes, according to Providence.
- The intrigue: Some nurses who initially decided to cross the picket line turned around shortly after to join it.
State of play: Providence hired 2,000 temporary nurses to keep its facilities operational during the strike, but struggled to temporarily replace striking doctors at two of its Portland-area hospitals that see the highest number of patients.
- On Monday, Providence filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, which represents 70 physicians from St. Vincent Medical Center, for failing to bargain "at reasonable times and reasonable intervals."
Between the lines: ONA estimates the strike is costing Providence "$25.39 million per week on replacement nurses."
- Providence did not respond to Axios' requests for comment on strike-related costs nor how the strike has impacted patient care.
What they're saying: On the picket line earlier this week, several Providence nurses and doctors highlighted the deteriorated trust between the hospital and its workers.
- "This is our second home. We spend so many hours of our lives working with our nurses, and we know them personally," Shirley Fox, a physician at St. Vincent, told KGW.
- "What I've seen over the last few years is Providence has become more of a business rather than a family in terms of a workplace."