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5,000 Providence nurses and doctors in Oregon join largest strike in state history [1]

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Date: 2025-01-10

Thousands of Providence nurses and some doctors are striking Friday in the largest health care strike in Oregon history.

Citing dangerous working conditions due to staffing shortages at Providence, one of the region’s largest health care providers, nearly 5,000 nurses and some doctors began striking at 6 a.m. Friday, according to the Oregon Nurses Association.

The strike is impacting multiple Providence locations. Here's what to know about the strike.

Why are Providence health care workers striking?

For weeks, workers have been demanding that “Providence put patients before profit,” threatening to strike if an agreement between the company and the union that represents the health care workers couldn't be reached.

Nurses and some doctors are striking because of "Providence’s unfair labor practices, dangerously understaffed hospitals, the ability to spend more time with patients, employee health care, and competitive wages and benefits to be able to recruit and retain more caregivers," according to the ONA.

According to The Oregonian, Providence has "proposed a 20% pay raise for nurses over the next three years, excluding overtime, holiday pay and incentives."

Providence has also offered signing bonuses of up to $5,000 for the new contract, the newspaper reported.

“Providence wasted 10 days when they could have been at the table making progress towards a comprehensive resolution of their labor dispute," Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement Friday. "We must take care of the people who take care of Oregonians – all hospital staff deserve a fair contract. Oregonians are already experiencing disruptions to care. All parties must return to the table immediately to resolve their disagreements so normal operations and care can resume."

Which Providence hospitals in Oregon are impacted because of the strike?

The strike is impacting the following Providence locations:

Providence St. Vincent

Providence Portland

Providence Milwaukie

Providence Willamette Falls

Providence Newberg

Providence Hood River

Providence Seaside

Providence Medford

Providence Women’s Clinic

At least 2,000 temporary nurses have been hired by Providence to work during the strike, according to The Oregonian.

The newspaper also reported that some surgeries have been postponed at Providence St. Vincent and some appointments have been rescheduled at the women's clinics.

The ONA has said people who need to seek immediate medical care should not delay getting care during the strike.

Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at [email protected] or on X at@GinnieSandoval.

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[1] Url: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2025/01/10/providence-nurses-and-doctors-striking-oregon/77594736007/

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