Hundreds Of Providence Nurses Walk Picket Line Tuesday Evening

BEAVERTON, OR — The hundreds of nurses who turned out at Providence St. Vincent to walk an informational picket line hope to avoid having to walk a strike picket line. The Oregon Nurses Association, which represents those nurses as well as more than 4,000 others who work at Providence facilities across the state, called the action.

Nurses at St. Vincent and Providence Willamette Falls have been working without a contract since last year. The ONA is bargaining on behalf of them as well as those at other Providence hospitals including Hood River and Milwaukie.

"Thousands of front-line nurses are fighting for the basics including safe staffing, better patient care, affordable health insurance, and caregiver retention," John Smeltzer, a registered nurse and the president of the ONA Executive Committee, said.

"The pandemic proved the status quo is unsustainable. Nurses have been at the bedside over the last two years and we know firsthand the health challenges our patients are facing."

The ONA says that there are four man issues that they are fighting for:

• Stronger patient safety standards to reduce future COVID-19 outbreaks and ensure the highest standards of care for all Oregonians.
• Safe nurse staffing to ensure high-quality care and patient access.
• Affordable health care and paid leave so frontline nurses can seek care after COVID-19 exposures and afford health care for their own families.
• A fair compensation package that allows hospitals to recruit and retain the skilled frontline caregivers our communities need to stay healthy and safe.

ONA officials stress that an informational picket is not a strike, it is an action to show solidarity and educate people.

"It's time to for Providence to listen to nurses and reinvest in patient safety, safe staffing, and caregiver retention to improve health care for all Oregonians," ONA President Lynda Pond said.

Former Speaker of the Oregon House Tina Kotek was among those in attendance.

Providence says that they agree that retaining nurses is a significant issue – not just for them but around the country. They say that they are happy to negotiate, blaming delays on the union which has agreed to only one negotiating session since January 28.