PORTLAND, Ore. — Nurses at Providence hospitals in Portland and Seaside have returned to work following a five-day strike this week, but contract negotiations are still ongoing and representatives from Providence and the Oregon Nurses Association continue to trade barbs.
ONA members accused Providence on Friday of violating Oregon law by using "professional strikebreakers," with union representatives calling on the Oregon Attorney General’s office to investigate Providence’s use of fill-in staff from U.S. Nursing Corporation.
Providence responded by saying that the ONA's criticism amounted to an assertion that Providence facilities should close their doors to patients during the strike, and said it's standard practice in the U.S. for health care facilities to bring in replacement workers during strikes.
But ONA Executive Director Anne Piazza disputed Providence’s assertion, arguing that the union had not claimed that Providence was forbidden from using replacement workers altogether. The union's objection was to the use of U.S. Nursing Corporation specifically, she said.
"When Providence uses a company like U.S. Nursing Corporation, it's a way to illegally shift the balance in their favor," Piazza said.
Professional strikebreakers
In a letter to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, ONA referenced a specific provision of Oregon law that prohibits professional strikebreakers from seeking employment as replacement workers during strikes and prohibits employers from hiring them for that purpose.
The law defines the term "professional strikebreaker" as someone who offers to replace an employee during a strike and has previously replaced employees during strikes at least two times in the preceding five years.
Piazza urged Rosenblum to not allow U.S. Nursing Corporation to work in Oregon.
"Companies like U.S. Nursing Corporation and Providence are fueled by corporate greed," she said.
Providence did not initially say where its replacement nurses came from, but on Saturday, Providence Central Division Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Gentry confirmed that the hospitals did hire nurses from U.S. Nursing Corporation.
Gentry said Providence would not have been able to maintain service at its hospitals if not for the replacement nurses from the company.
"It would be incredibly challenging, if not impossible, for us to have sourced 500 nurses, to come here within 10 days notice for this strike," she said.
Five-day strike
Nurses at Providence Portland, Providence Seaside and Providence Home Health and Hospice began their strike on Monday, pushing for higher wages, improved staffing levels and more affordable health care.
Providence said it originally offered nurses a 12% raise in the first year of the contract, followed by 3% raises in the second and third years. Officials said the contract also includes bonuses of up to $2,500 and 30 additional hours of paid time off over three years.
ONA responded that they were seeking better time off benefits in addition to raises, and that Providence's additional PTO offer wouldn't even cover one shift each year, given that most nursing shifts are longer than 10 hours.
Before the strike, Providence said it planned to shut down the Portland neonatal ICU and pause all surgeries, besides life-or-death cases. They also advised patients dealing with emergencies to go to other hospitals. But the health system reopened the NICU midway through the week and accepted transfers for high level care even as the strike persisted.
Bargaining has been paused since June 8, and Providence said it wouldn't negotiate with the union until after the strike ended. Providence Home Health and Hospice nurses are tentatively scheduled to resume talks on Tuesday.
Negotiations with nurses at the Seaside and Portland hospitals have not been scheduled.