(Portland, Ore.) – Nearly 550 more professional and technical employees from Providence Oregon facilities are now represented by Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) following 4 recent union elections. The new bargaining units are located at Providence Portland, Providence Hood River and Providence Willamette Falls, hospitals that already have long-established nurse units. 

“We have had difficulties recruiting and retaining techs for years. It has felt at times like a revolving door. People don’t want to work for an employer that won’t pay competitive market wages,” said Erika Taylor, a respiratory therapist at Providence Hood River. “Our nurse colleagues have stood with us since we started organizing and we will lean on them as we navigate bargaining our first contract.” 

“The increased union density across Providence Oregon will benefit patients and all workers,” said Kaleigh Roehl, an RN at Providence Portland. “Despite its not-for-profit classification, Providence is the embodiment of corporatized healthcare, where profits are put before patients every day. But when workers come together in solidarity, we are able to build power together and hold hospital executives accountable for the decisions they make that impact the health and safety of our community."

The new bargaining units represented by ONA include:

• 270 workers including surgical techs, respiratory and radiation therapists, rehabilitation assistants and others voted to join ONA January 7, 2026.

• 225 workers including dietitians, pharmacists, social workers, chaplains and more won their union election April 2, 2026.

• 82 technologists voted to join ONA February 19, 2026.

• The group is comprised of respiratory therapists, MRI technologists, ultrasound technologists, surgical technicians, and others

• 43 technologists voted to join ONA May 21, 2026.

“Being part of a union is important so that we can navigate the rapidly changing health care environment,” said Diana Shiroky, speech language pathologist at Providence Portland. “At Providence Portland we will be near wall-to-wall represented by ONA. While our job responsibilities may be different, all the bargaining units will work together with administration to make improvements to employee recruitment and retention while maintaining high patient satisfaction.” 

The organizing wins come as eight ONA-represented bargaining units at Providence prepare to negotiate contracts that expire at the end of 2026 and early 2027. In January 2025, 5,000 workers from 11 Providence bargaining units were on strike for 46 days—the longest healthcare workers' strike in Oregon history. The strike ended with smarter staffing for patient care, significant wage increases and unified contracts to improve solidarity.

 

# # #