Aug.12, 2024 – Reading Providence Executive Jennifer Burrows' recent Op-Ed regarding the nurses' strike left me nearly speechless in disbelief. Her piece is riddled with misrepresentations and misleading claims that must be addressed.

ONA Nurses Did Not Walk Away

3,000 dedicated Providence nurses, represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), did not "walk away" from negotiations; Providence did, after we voted overwhelmingly to take a stand against their failure to prioritize safe staffing, better healthcare, and fair working conditions.

Misleading Compensation Figures

Burrows claims that virtually every full-time Providence nurse earns at least $100,000 annually, with some making twice as much, is a complete fiction that grossly inflates the reality for many of our nurses. Burrows fails to mention that her stated “average hourly rate” includes overtime and shift differentials, which are not guaranteed income but rather compensation for extended and often grueling hours taken on by already overworked and underpaid staff.

Unsustainable Wage Increases?

Burrow’s assertion that the proposed wage increases for nurses are unsustainable is classic Providence—a “woe-is-me” tactic that flies in the face of the reality that Providence is a nearly $29 billion corporation. Is it any wonder she fails to mention that, in 2022, she was paid over $860k, the Chief Financial Officer, Gregory Hoffman, was paid more than $1.5m, and the outgoing Providence CEO, Rod Hochman, was paid a whopping $11.2m? Burrows criticizing nurses for asking for competitive wages is the height of hypocrisy.

Our proposal is not only sustainable but necessary to retain talent in an increasingly competitive field and to recruit new nurses to work at Providence facilities. Ultimately, if you pay your frontline workers fairly - instead of doling out lavish salaries to corporate executives who rarely set foot in a hospital - healthcare will improve for our communities and our state. 

Staffing Issues Are Real

Despite the nurse-to-patient ratio legislation Burrows touts as a victory, nurses continue to report unsafe staffing levels at Providence facilities across the state. Providence’s failure to comply with state law compromises patient care and nurse well-being. ONA’s push for better staffing at the bargaining table is a direct response to these ongoing issues, which Providence seems eager to ignore.

Inadequate Healthcare

Providence nurses are offered a substandard healthcare plan that is far inferior to what other healthcare systems offer and could cost nurses as much as $5,000 out of pocket just to have a child at a Providence hospital.

The True Impact of the Strike

The historic strike at six Providence facilities across the state has brought significant attention to these critical issues. The strike has galvanized public support and put pressure on Providence to address the systemic problems that led to the walkout in the first place. The notion that the union is the only beneficiary is a blatant misrepresentation; the real beneficiaries will be the patients who receive care from well-compensated, properly staffed nurses who can perform their duties without being overworked and underappreciated.

By using misleading claims and downplaying the legitimate concerns raised by the nurses, Burrows seems to be trying to instill fear in ONA members and create uncertainty among potential union members, hoping to undermine the growing movement for healthcare professionals to unionize across Providence facilities. It won’t work. Upwards of 1,000 Providence healthcare workers have joined ONA since 2023, an inconvenient fact that terrifies Providence.

ONA's demands are not "unrealistic and unsustainable" but are grounded in our call for safe, fair working conditions that benefit both nurses and their patients.

Providence’s dedicated health care workers, and the patients they serve, deserve transparency and action, not deflection and disinformation.

Virginia Smith, RN-BC, BSN, is president of the Providence Willamette Falls Bargaining Unit and a member of the Oregon Nurses Association Board of Directors. She has worked at Providence Willamette Falls for 15 years and is bargaining her fifth contract with the hospital.