Medford, Oregon- Frontline nurses at Providence Medford Medical Center (PMMC) are escalating their contract dispute to the public sphere after months of unsuccessful negotiations. Organized by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), the nurses will stage an informational picket on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, to highlight issues surrounding healthcare standards for nurses, patients, and communities.
The ONA represents over 4,700 nurses across nine Providence Health System facilities in Oregon. Their primary concerns include enhancing standards across Providence, Oregon’s largest healthcare system and a major corporate entity in the state.
Negotiations with PMMC management began in January but hit a roadblock when the contract expired in March.
Despite progress on some issues, nurses remain dissatisfied with Providence’s response to their core concerns:
- Safe Patient Assignments: Nurses demand manageable patient loads to ensure patient safety, highlighting cases where nurses are assigned up to eight patients during meal breaks.
- Paid Time Off (PTO): Providence RNs lag behind industry standards by 20-30 hours.
- Market-Competitive Wages & Benefits: Current compensation falls below market rates, leaving caregivers at a disadvantage compared to peers in similar roles.
According to organizers, these grievances have prompted nurses to take action, emphasizing patient safety and the recruitment and retention of caregivers. They say their concerns extend beyond Providence Medford, affecting nurses at other Providence facilities across the state.
ONA remarks that despite nurses’ efforts, hundreds remain without a contract, with upcoming contract expirations at more facilities. Nurses at Providence St. Vincent and Providence Newberg have even authorized potential strikes to further their cause.
Organizers say that the public is invited to join the informational picket, demonstrating solidarity with caregivers striving to enhance healthcare standards in Oregon. The picket, distinct from a strike, aims to raise awareness and advocate for improved conditions within Providence and across the state.
At this time, PMMC has not released a statement regarding the planned picket. Once additional information is available, Medford Alert will update this article.
Update: Providence has released the following statement on the continuing negotiations with the ONA:
Providence acknowledges Oregon Nurses Association’s (ONA) right to stage an informational picket. But we know reaching an agreement can only happen at the bargaining table. The time spent picketing could be spent negotiating a new contract.
ONA is asking for better wages for nurses. We agree. We are committed to offering market-competitive wages, which is why our first wage proposal included a 14% wage increase. That would come out to a $7.00-$8.00 per hour increase for our nurses upon ratification of a contract. It also included additional increases each year throughout the contract term. However, ONA has not returned a counter-proposal on wages since March.
Providence Medford Medical Center is ready and serious about negotiating a fair and competitive contract for our nurses, but we cannot negotiate with ourselves. We are eager to continue negotiating at the bargaining table and agree on a contract for our nurses. We hope ONA makes proposals concerning wages without additional delay so we can reach an agreement soon. Now is the time. We’re at the table ready to negotiate.
Source: ONA
Discover more from Medford Alert News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
