MEDIA ADVISORY: Oregon Nurses Picketing Providence Tuesday, March 15 (Photo) -03/14/22
Hundreds of Nurses along with Elected Officials, Labor Leaders, Faith Leaders and Community Allies will be marching in an informational picket outside Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Tuesday, March 15 from 5 - 8 PM.
WHAT: More than 700 frontline nurses who work within the Providence Health System will participate in an informational picket about raising health care standards for nurses, patients and our communities on Tuesday, March 15. The nurses—represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA)—will be joined by Oregon elected leaders, worker advocates and community allies.
ONA represents more than 4,000 frontline nurses working in 10 Providence Health System facilities from Portland to Medford. Nurses are standing together to raise standards for caregivers, our patients and our communities within Providence--Oregon’s largest health care system and one of the state’s largest companies.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 15
- Informational Picketing from 5-8 p.m.
- 1st Round of Speakers: 6:00 p.m.
- 2nd Round of Speakers: 7:15 p.m.
- Times are approximate
WHERE: On sidewalks outside Providence St. Vincent Medical Center near the intersection of SW Barnes Road and SW Baltic Ave in Portland, OR. (Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Address: 9205 SW Barnes Rd, Portland, OR 97225).
WHO: More than 700 ONA frontline nurses will be picketing alongside elected officials, worker advocates and community allies. Frontline nurses and current and former elected officials and allies will also be speaking in support of ONA nurses. Scheduled speakers include:
- Oregon gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek
- Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran, MD
- State Representative Rob Nosse
- State Representative Rachel Prusak, NP
- State Representative Wlnsvey Campos
- SEIU President Mike Powers
- Faith Leader Fr. Jack Mosbrucker
- Multiple ONA frontline nurses working within the Providence system
WHY: ONA nurses are picketing to improve patient safety by addressing Providence’s staffing crisis and raising standards to recruit and retain caregivers. Despite nurses’ sacrifices over the last two years serving on the frontlines of a deadly pandemic--Providence has left hundreds of frontline nurses working without the safety and security of a contract. Providence allowed nurse contracts at major Oregon hospitals like Providence St. Vincent and Providence Willamette Falls to expire last year. Other contracts are also close to expiration and are in bargaining--including Providence Hood River and Providence Milwaukie.
ONA nurses from 10 Providence facilities and community allies are coming together to put patients first and make much-needed safety, staffing and care improvements for their communities. During contract negotiations, ONA frontline nurses are asking Providence for basic safety standards to protect our patients, our coworkers and our families including:
- 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 nurses continue to be our community’s primary health care advocates, publicly calling on Providence and other health care giants along with government and industries to prioritize patient and community safety during and after COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic, nurses have led efforts to increase access to free COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, upgrade workplace safety standards through state and national OSHA standards, provide free mental health support to frontline workers, improve mask availability and use, and support frontline health care workers by providing proper personal protective equipment (PPE), timely disease exposure notifications, COVID-19 sick leave and worker input on COVID-19 and other key health care issues.
Now nurses are standing together to address long-term safety, staffing and benefit issues as nurses’ contracts at multiple Providence facilities are expired or up for negotiations in 2022.
“Thousands of frontline nurses are fighting for the basics—safe staffing, better patient care, affordable health insurance and caregiver retention. During the pandemic, Providence turned away ambulances, forced Oregonians to wait long hours in COVID-crowded ERs, and put patients at risk due to low staffing. Now Providence has left frontline nurses working without a contract and with no clear plan to improve care in the future," said ONA Executive Committee President at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center John Smeltzer, RN.
“The pandemic proved the status quo is unsustainable. Our patients and frontline caregivers deserve more. Providence is Oregon’s largest health care provider. Its decisions impact all Oregonians’ health care. Nurses have been at the bedside over the last two years and we know firsthand the health challenges our patients are facing. That’s why ONA nurses are uniting to raise standards for all Oregonians,” Smeltzer said.
“While Oregon’s nurses were running into COVID-19 rooms wearing reused PPE we pulled from paper bags--taxpayers handed Providence and other hospitals billions to ensure our hospitals stayed open during the pandemic. Providence alone collected nearly $1 billion in taxpayer bailouts from the CARES Act to add to its $14 billion in cash and investment revenues,” said ONA President Lynda Pond, RN.
“Frontline nurses have invested in Providence with our blood, sweat, tears and our dollars. Now we’re demanding Providence invest in our communities and put those profits to work as intended. It’s time for Providence to listen to nurses and reinvest in patient safety, safe staffing, and caregiver retention to improve health care for all Oregonians,” Pond said.
Tuesday’s informational picket is open to the public. While it is an outdoor, rain-or-shine event, all participants are highly encouraged to wear masks, take measures to ensure social distancing and follow guidance from designated picket captains and safety personnel.
Note: An informational picket is not a strike or work stoppage. It is a demonstration of solidarity to Providence’s administrators and a promise to our community that nurses, elected leaders and allies are united to raise health care standards at Providence and throughout Oregon.
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union which represents more than 15,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state, including more than 4,000 nurses working at 10 Providence Oregon health care facilities throughout the state. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org.
