PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — About 1,300 workers at PeaceHealth Southwest and at PeaceHealth St. John began striking Monday morning.
Picket lines began at 6:30 a.m. and are expected to run until 7 p.m. daily through this Friday, October 27, officials said. They will be held at both PeaceHealth Southwest in Vancouver and PeaceHealth St. John in Longview.
Workers will be prepared to return to work on Saturday, October 28.
The strike comes after the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP) union formally announced a strike notice on October 13. The union said many of the PeaceHealth workers are members of OFNHP, AFT Local 5017, AFL-CIO had been in contract negotiations for months without an agreement.
“This strike was caused by management’s unwillingness to pay their workers living wages, fix short staffing, or address the issues that threaten the future of patient care,” Jonathon Baker, OFNHP’s President and a Lab Professional at PeaceHealth St. John, told KOIN 6 News earlier.
According to a statement shared by PeaceHealth early Monday morning, the striking unit is made up of service and tech caregivers, doctors and nurses are not included.
The union said they are “ready to re-enter negotiations with management at any time and intend to stay on the picket line until a satisfactory agreement is reached.”
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
