Friday's mediation session—the first meeting between ONA nurses and PeaceHealth executives since nurses' successful strike vote—ends without a contract agreement.
(EUGENE, Ore.) - ONA nurses volunteered their time to meet with PeaceHealth’s high-paid corporate executives and a federal mediator for more than 4 hours Friday, January 5 to try to reach a fair contract agreement for home care nurses, our patients and our community. While frontline nurses had good discussions, PeaceHealth’s executives continued to deny home care nurses equal pay with their hospital colleagues and with nurses at similar home health agencies.
PeaceHealth’s inequitable treatment of nurses has already forced nearly a quarter of home care nurses to leave PeaceHealth and a staggering one-third of PeaceHealth’s current home care nurses plan to leave this year if PeaceHealth does not agree to a fair contract.
Fewer home care nurses means costly care delays for local patients and their families. In October, PeaceHealth failed to admit nearly half its home health patients in a timely fashion. The national average for timely admissions to home health is 95%.
Despite PeaceHealth’s refusal to offer home care nurses the same standard it agreed to with local hospital nurses in August, home care nurses agreed to meet with PeaceHealth executives and a federal mediation again Friday, January 12.
Nurses remain eager to reach a fair contract that addresses PeaceHealth’s staffing crisis, raises safety standards, increases recruitment and retention of skilled nurses, and ensures all Oregonians have access to safe, affordable, and accessible home health care. However, nurses refuse to rollover and accept a contract that would lead to additional losses and endanger our patients, our coworkers and our community.
On Dec. 28, ONA nurses at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services announced we are prepared to strike to protect patients and our community. With nearly 100% participation, a strong majority of the more than 90 home care nurses voted to authorize a strike.
Local nurses are actively meeting with statewide leaders to determine if and when to call a strike and how long a potential strike would be.
If a strike is called, nurses will provide PeaceHealth with a 10-day notice to allow PeaceHealth executives adequate time to provide alternate care options for patients or to rejoin us at the table and reach a fair agreement.
ONA represents more than 90 registered nurses at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services and more than 1,500 frontline nurses at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center Riverbend.
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union that represents more than 17,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org.
