AURN nurses have made it clear: we must get a fair contract now! Over 1500 nurses and community members gathered on Mac Lawn and then made our fight public by marching down Sam Jackson Park Road in front of the hospital. The line of nurses marching stretched non-stop for over half a mile. Every major cluster and area of the hospital had overwhelming support and representation marching all as one. Nurses marched for safe staffing, for workplace safety, for respect, and to make OHSU a place where we can all be proud to work.
“I worked today, and we stood in the windows of Koehler Pavilion and we watched as you all marched and it was breathtaking! You all are a force to be reckoned with, none of us stand alone in this! …We never stand alone!” -Elisa Youngman, RN, AURN President
When we look at where things stand, it’s clear OHSU management did not make the real movement necessary to reach an agreement before contract expiration. In 2023, unless major increases are made, OHSU nurses will be earning less than Providence St. Vincent nurses, dramatically less than our Level 1 Trauma Research Hospital peers, and on average almost $18,500 less than St. Charles Bend nurses.
Our AURN members have voted with their feet as seen by the tremendous size of the picket: we have a mandate to stand strong until we reach a fair agreement.
AURN nurses, and our amazing supporters from all around the state, shared their support throughout the picket. Workers from AFSCME, OFNHP, OHSU Providers & Residents, Portland Public School Teachers, firefighters, EMTs, UPS drivers, Providence nurses, and nurses and healthcare workers from all around the state cheered and walked the line together.
Solidarity poured in from around the state. ONA President Tamie Cline shouted to the crowd, “Recruit, retain, respect! You are not alone, your union siblings across the state are with you in spirit and in person! When we stand together no matter where we work, and we show our solidarity, there is nothing we can’t accomplish together!”
Our campaign for a fair contract has the full support of the Oregon AFL-CIO. “The level of disrespect is unreal…I hope OHSU understands that we won’t stop, we will hold a solid line…we will show up whenever and wherever, ready to fight because us union folks, we know how to fight, because when we fight, we win!” -Sarina Roher, RN, Secretary Treasurer Oregon AFL-CIO
As nurses at a public hospital, our publicly elected officials have our backs! We were so proud to have a special guest at our picket that not only is a nurse, but an amazing State House Representative. From Portland’s District 44 and Vice Chair of the House Healthcare Committee State Representative Travis Nelson gave an empowering speech: “A hospital like OHSU doesn’t have excuses, they’ve got money, they are making profits off the backs of their healthcare workers, they’ve paid agencies, they paid travelers, and they paid their executives and it’s time they fairly compensated their nurses and healthcare workers. I stand with you and my colleagues in the legislature stand with you. Proposals related to DEI, patient safety, nurse safety, don’t cost the hospital a whole lot out of their pockets should be no brainers… There is absolutely no reasons that this contract should be expiring. 19 sessions in? If we’re not close to having a contract that’s absolutely ridiculous…You deserve a damn good contract!”
After 19 bargaining sessions and mediation stretching over seven months, we have done our due diligence. We have patiently and carefully talked through each and every proposal, and still remain without a fair agreement after our contract expired on June 30.
After 1,800 ONA nurses and health care workers at Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital, and Providence Home Health & Hospice held the first successful nurses’ strike in Oregon in more than 20 years in June, the following week more than 3,500 ONA nurses demonstrated across the OHSU hospital system with informational pickets at OHSU, OHSU Hillsboro and Columbia Memorial Hospital, an OHSU partner, June 27-29.
Despite lengthy negotiations, nurses at all three hospitals hadn’t seen significant movement from management on our top priorities: retention, recruitment, respect and safety. With all three contracts now expired, ONA nurses across the OHSU system held coordinated systemwide informational pickets. While nurses at OHSU were picketing on the hill, our colleagues at OHSU Hillsboro were working hard in negotiations that same day. Having held a picket at OHSU Hillsboro the night before, management showed up to their negotiations ready to make movement. The Hillsboro team reached a tentative agreement the day of our picket on the hill, which is now being put out for a vote of the nurses at Hillsboro.
Mackenzie Chown who had just finished a 16-hour shift, shared her experience of being retaliated against for speaking up for safe staffing. She stated to the crowd,
“When we push for safe staffing it’s because we’re trying to save lives!”Brandon Finley, Teamsters Local 162 UPS driver ended the rally declaring support from our union siblings:
“It’s about us as a community, as workers, friends and families showing the world that the true meaning of an injury to one is an injury to all… It is unacceptable that an institution like OHSU with billions of dollars is satisfied with their nurses just getting by, with their nurses being put in unsafe situations, leaving their nurses unable to provide the quality of care they would want for themselves… Our struggle is your struggle, and your struggle is ours, this is why our UPS drivers refused to cross the picket lines at Providence.” Our AURN Bargaining team and management will be meeting with our government mediator July 5, 11, 19, and 26. We will be communicating with AURN members throughout that process and are asking all members to wear your purple and green union colors!
Please take photos with signs of support (no patients, computer monitors or white boards in the background please) and if you are willing to let us publicly share them, email to
news@oregonrn.org.
Please note: Management must still follow the contract during negotiations even after expiration, or it would be an unfair labor practice to change the status quo. Notify
aurnlaborreps@oregonrn.org if you have questions. We have already filed several unfair labor practices (ULPs) and will be filing more. We are standing firm that OHSU must follow state labor law and we will be holding them accountable.
Lastly, and most importantly please keep having conversations with your coworkers about our top priorities. Watch for important updates for next steps and spread the word. If someone didn’t make it to the picket, share what your experience was like and offer to personally go with them to the next action! Every OHSU employee should be included in these important conversations.
Now is the time that we all stand together, to turn a corner at OHSU, and make it a place we can all be proud of!
Informational Picket Media Coverage:
The Lund Report
Portland Business Journal (paywall)
KOIN-TV
The Oregonian
Public News Service
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