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Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

OR Providence doctors, nurses authorize strike

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Friday, October 25, 2024   

Health-care workers in Oregon have authorized a potential strike that includes nurses at Providence Women's Clinic and doctors at Providence Saint Vincent. If it happens, it would be the first time doctors have held a strike in Oregon history.

Jeremiah Wright, a nurse practitioner at Saint Vincent, said it took a long time for the doctors and other hospitalists there to reach the point where they felt comfortable with a strike. He said doctors' first priority is "do no harm," but they have struggled to provide care because of understaffing.

"Realizing that it is beholden on the corporations and the health-care systems to ensure that we are providing the best health care for our patients," he said. "If it comes to a point where a strike is necessary for us to achieve that, then it's up to Providence to make sure that the hospital's staffed when we're on strike."

Workers represented by the Oregon Nurses Association have said they've reached an impasse with Providence over concerns about staffing and retention. Federal mediators have been called into negotiations at Saint Vincent, which started in January. Providence did not respond before the deadline for this story.

Christina Malango is a clinic nurse with Providence Women's Clinic. Negotiations at her clinic began in November 2023, and there have been 36 bargaining sessions so far. She described nurses as "burnt out" and the clinic as short-staffed since the pandemic. She added that Providence hasn't moved on the issues most important to her and her coworkers.

"Work-life balance, competitive wages and benefits, health benefits, retirement that rewards loyalty and ensures the dignity of people as they move into retirement," she said. "Those are areas [where] we have been really stuck."

Malango said many nurses don't feel like they're being listened to - and so, a strike authorization felt like a necessary step.

"As someone who is at the bargaining table myself," she said, "I feel like the strike authorization is another tool to convey the seriousness and the unity among our union members."

Disclosure: Oregon Nurses Association (AFT Local 5905) contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Health Issues, Livable Wages/Working Families, Mental Health. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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