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News Release

TODAY: Nurses To Lead Informational Picket At Providence Seaside - 04/27/23

Nurses come together to demand Providence put patient care above profits 

WHAT: Frontline nurses who work for Providence Seaside Hospital, and are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, will hold an informational picket to raise awareness of the need for adequate staffing, improved health care standards for nurses, patients and the community, competitive wages and childcare assistance, and passage of HB 2697. 

WHEN: Thursday, April 27 from 2-5 p.m.   

WHERE: Beginning at Wahanna Road at the entrance to Providence Seaside Hospital. At 3:30 p.m., participants will march to Hwy 101 via Broadway where they will wave signs.

WHO: Brief speeches will begin at 2:30 p.m. and include:

  • ONA Executive Director Anne Tan Piazza
  • Mary Romanaggi, RN and Providence Seaside Bargaining Team Member

WHY: RNs, represented by Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), are picketing Providence for stable, quality patient care by demanding the health system prioritize frontline caregivers and patients over the bottom line. Providence accounts for nearly one-third of Oregon's hospital market. During the last five years, it has expanded dramatically, making over $1 billion in Oregon-only profits while failing to invest in patients and caregivers. Providence executives’ failures combined with the COVID-19 pandemic led to a healthcare crisis that threatens the stability of care for Oregonians, especially those living on the North Coast. 

Here's an overview of ONA RNs’ proposals to address the current crisis for nurses and patients at Providence:

  • Patient to RN Staffing Ratios: Commitment to safe RN to patient assignments in our contracts. Short staffing has led to an overflowing ER and unnecessary stress on patients and nurses. RNs also need dedicated break relief nurses so when one nurse goes on lunch another doesn’t have to be responsible for a double patient load.
  • Adequate Health Benefits: Providence is Oregon's most extensive health system and one of its largest health insurers. However, their healthcare plans cost caregivers more than double that of unionized competitors like Kaiser.
  • Fully Paid Sick and Parental Leave: Providence eliminated RNs' sick leave banks just before COVID. It forced caregivers to burn through as much as 28 days of paid leave time for workplace exposures. Our caregivers propose fully paid sick and parental leave available right away to retain caregivers.
  • Competitive Wages: ONA RNs’ wages are significantly below market. Providence needs to offer wages that improve nurse recruitment and retention.

“Providence Seaside has two different wage scales: one for clinic nurses and one for hospital nurses. That means a clinic nurse with 15, 20, or more years of experience makes less than a hospital nurse with five years of experience,” said Molly Hasenkamp, RN and bargaining team member. “My biggest fear is losing our highly skilled and experienced nurses to other facilities that pay more and have better benefits. I know a lot of nurses in the community, but they don’t work for Providence Seaside.”

“Our hospital is heavily relying upon new graduate hires to staff the emergency department and elsewhere. Proposed staffing changes would increase the risk of too few nurses with too little experience handling your emergent medical needs. That’s not fair to you or them,” said Nathan Weiler, RN, BSN and bargaining unit chair.

“I don’t know what’s going to keep a new nurse here, there’s no reason for them to stay. The cost of living is as high, if not higher than in Portland and the wages are lower,” said Mary Romanaggi, RN and bargaining team member. “Our vacation and PTO requests are also being denied, making it difficult for people to get the rest they need to recharge.”

ONA represents more than 4,000 frontline nurses working in nine Providence Health System facilities from Portland to Medford. 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. 

Thursday’s informational picket is open to the public but anyone attending is asked to follow guidance by designated picket captains. 

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 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state, including more than 4,000 nurses working at nine 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.

TODAY: Nurses To Lead Informational Picket At Providence Seaside - 04/27/23

Nurses come together to demand Providence put patient care above profits 

WHAT: Frontline nurses who work for Providence Seaside Hospital, and are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, will hold an informational picket to raise awareness of the need for adequate staffing, improved health care standards for nurses, patients and the community, competitive wages and childcare assistance, and passage of HB 2697. 

WHEN: Thursday, April 27 from 2-5 p.m.   

WHERE: Beginning at Wahanna Road at the entrance to Providence Seaside Hospital. At 3:30 p.m., participants will march to Hwy 101 via Broadway where they will wave signs.

WHO: Brief speeches will begin at 2:30 p.m. and include:

  • ONA Executive Director Anne Tan Piazza
  • Mary Romanaggi, RN and Providence Seaside Bargaining Team Member

WHY: RNs, represented by Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), are picketing Providence for stable, quality patient care by demanding the health system prioritize frontline caregivers and patients over the bottom line. Providence accounts for nearly one-third of Oregon's hospital market. During the last five years, it has expanded dramatically, making over $1 billion in Oregon-only profits while failing to invest in patients and caregivers. Providence executives’ failures combined with the COVID-19 pandemic led to a healthcare crisis that threatens the stability of care for Oregonians, especially those living on the North Coast. 

Here's an overview of ONA RNs’ proposals to address the current crisis for nurses and patients at Providence:

  • Patient to RN Staffing Ratios: Commitment to safe RN to patient assignments in our contracts. Short staffing has led to an overflowing ER and unnecessary stress on patients and nurses. RNs also need dedicated break relief nurses so when one nurse goes on lunch another doesn’t have to be responsible for a double patient load.
  • Adequate Health Benefits: Providence is Oregon's most extensive health system and one of its largest health insurers. However, their healthcare plans cost caregivers more than double that of unionized competitors like Kaiser.
  • Fully Paid Sick and Parental Leave: Providence eliminated RNs' sick leave banks just before COVID. It forced caregivers to burn through as much as 28 days of paid leave time for workplace exposures. Our caregivers propose fully paid sick and parental leave available right away to retain caregivers.
  • Competitive Wages: ONA RNs’ wages are significantly below market. Providence needs to offer wages that improve nurse recruitment and retention.

“Providence Seaside has two different wage scales: one for clinic nurses and one for hospital nurses. That means a clinic nurse with 15, 20, or more years of experience makes less than a hospital nurse with five years of experience,” said Molly Hasenkamp, RN and bargaining team member. “My biggest fear is losing our highly skilled and experienced nurses to other facilities that pay more and have better benefits. I know a lot of nurses in the community, but they don’t work for Providence Seaside.”

“Our hospital is heavily relying upon new graduate hires to staff the emergency department and elsewhere. Proposed staffing changes would increase the risk of too few nurses with too little experience handling your emergent medical needs. That’s not fair to you or them,” said Nathan Weiler, RN, BSN and bargaining unit chair.

“I don’t know what’s going to keep a new nurse here, there’s no reason for them to stay. The cost of living is as high, if not higher than in Portland and the wages are lower,” said Mary Romanaggi, RN and bargaining team member. “Our vacation and PTO requests are also being denied, making it difficult for people to get the rest they need to recharge.”

ONA represents more than 4,000 frontline nurses working in nine Providence Health System facilities from Portland to Medford. 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. 

Thursday’s informational picket is open to the public but anyone attending is asked to follow guidance by designated picket captains. 

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 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state, including more than 4,000 nurses working at nine 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.