Thousands of workers at Providence Oregon walked off the job Friday morning. The strike, which impacts all eight Providence hospitals in the state as well as seven women’s clinics, includes nearly 5,000 nurses and 150 physicians and advanced practitioners.

The Oregon Nurses Association announced on Dec. 30 they would walk out Jan. 10 if a deal could not be reached. The two sides have been in bargaining for more than a year and had been working with federal mediators.

It is the first time in recent state history that doctors have gone on strike.

At a press conference on the eve of the strike, Robin Richards, a physician with the Providence Women’s Clinic, said Providence’s staff is feeling the strain of too much growth with too little support.

“We on the frontlines are experiencing increasingly strained and dangerous working conditions,” Richards said. “We are caring for a growing volume of patients with a shrinking professional staff.”

The Oregon Nurses Association has accused Providence of stonewalling on core priorities like staffing and out of pocket health care costs, and violating labor law by refusing to bargain with nurses after it received their 10-day strike notice, while asking to continue bargaining with doctors.

Providence said it has offered generous pay increases and improved benefits, and has accused the Oregon Nurses Association of delay tactics and letting contracts expire “with the intent of forcing strikes.”

“Providence has provided quality care to Oregonians for more than 150 years. Our commitment to taking care of our patients, caregivers and communities will not waver,” a spokesman said.

Gov. Tina Kotek said she is in contact with both ONA leadership and the Providence CEO. “I have urged both parties to stay at the bargaining table – that means all hospital staff, not just physicians,” Kotek said.

The strike, which began at 6 a.m. Friday, has no set end date. Providence has reportedly told its nurses that anyone who wishes to work during the strike must report for work on the first day, a policy that might run afoul of labor law. Providence has hired replacement workers for two weeks.

While Providence officials have said they’ve been able to hire 2,000 replacement workers for striking nurses, it has been less successful replacing physicians and advanced practitioners who walked out at St. Vincent Medical Center and several women’s clinics.

Providence has said the hospital will be operating with reduced capacity during the strike.

This story will be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/01/10/providence-nurses-and-some-doctors-walkout-as-open-ended-strike-begins/