West PDX Today

WASHINGTON DC [06/22/23] – Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Andrea Salinas, and Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley sent a letter urging Providence and the Oregon Nurses Association to quickly resume the negotiation of new employment contracts for nurses and clinical staff at Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital, and Providence Home Health and Hospice.

The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Ms. Tan Piazza and Mr. Hochman,

We write to express our fervent hope that Providence and the Oregon Nurses Association will come back together in good faith and with all due haste to negotiate new employment contracts for the 1800 nurses and clinical staff at Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital, and Providence Home Health and Hospice.

These dedicated nurses and clinical staff have taken the extraordinary step of going on strike because of economic proposals, safe patient care, and the need to adequately staff these facilities so nurses and clinicians can provide quality patient care.

Many of these nurses and clinical staff worked for Providence—or elsewhere in health care—during the pandemic. We’ve spoken with nurses and clinical staff who were traumatized, burnt out, and exhausted. They faced PPE shortages and personal risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 to family and loved ones. They continued to show up for the patients who needed care.

We also heard from hospital executives who struggled to hire and maintain the workforce they needed, to procure PPE and other supplies at the height of an unprecedented global pandemic, and who faced alarming COVID surges that exceeded hospital bed capacity.

As you are uniquely aware, the last few years have not been easy for anyone in health care, and the health care system continues to face a variety of challenges. Providence nurses and clinical staff provide needed and often life-saving-care to many vulnerable patients, and this strike interrupts that continuity of care.

Nurses and clinical staff are on the front lines of the health care system and are essential in every part of the system, including in the care and experience of each patient and their family or loved ones. They know each patient’s needs and have a vital perspective on safe staffing and quality care. Hospital administrators have an acute awareness of the challenges of running a health care facility and system.

We also appreciate that Providence and ONA both share the goal of providing excellent patient care and experiences. We remain hopeful that this shared goal can inspire a timely resolution of contract negotiations; a resolution that fosters a renewed spirit of collaboration and partnership between Providence and the nurses and clinical staff represented by the Oregon Nurses Association.

As representatives of Oregon in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, we often speak of the Oregon way. The Oregon way upholds innovation and collaboration and brings people together to solve problems, despite differences. It is creative, respectful, and full of promise. We urge you to bring the spirit of the Oregon way to your negotiations.

On behalf of the millions of Oregonians we represent, it is our sincere hope that ONA and Providence negotiate contracts in good faith as quickly and amiably as possible. Thank you for your attention to this important matter and for your consideration of our request.

Sincerely,

Original source can be found here.