Iron Workers Local 29 Hosts Christmas Party
for Members, Kids and Grandkids
Iron Workers Local 29 threw a Christmas breakfast for
its members, children and grandchildren Dec. 13 at the
Holiday Inn in Northeast Portland (See photo left). Nearly
300 people attended, and each child received a toy. The
main attraction, however, was Jolly Old St. Nick. This
year marks the 29th year the local has hosted the party.
ONA goes public with staffing
problems at Springfield hospital
SPRINGFIELD — Oregon Nurses
Association (ONA) is ramping up a
campaign over safe staffing at a Spring-
field hospital run by the non-profit
PeaceHealth chain. The union gets
more complaints about staffing from
members at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart
Medical Center at RiverBend than from
any other hospital in Oregon.
For more than two years, nurses
have complained to Riverbend hospital
administrators about staffing levels, and
ONA spent over 200 hours discussing it
during contract negotiations this year.
The union says the problem stems from
a decision to cut staff, even as the
Riverbend hospital made a record
$43.5 million profit last year.
From June 2013 to June 2014, ONA
members at Riverbend documented 272
instances of delayed or omitted medical
treatment, 210 instances of missed pain
management, and 247 cases in which
patient hygiene was delayed or omitted
— because of understaffing.
Now the union is going public, with
an online petition and web site (sacred-
heartnurses.org), Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/sacredheartcare-
giversunited), and ads that ran Thanks-
giving week in Eugene Weekly, Eugene
Register-Guard, and Springfield Times.
The campaign is sparking local
news coverage, and even led to a public
scolding of management by the biggest
local newspaper: After meeting with
nurses, the Register-Guard editorial
board urged hospital administrators to
address their complaints in an editorial
published Dec. 5.
M erry C hristmas!
from the officers and staff of
R OOFERS AND W ATERPROOFERS L OCAL 49
Travis Hopkins
President
Darrell Hopkins, Sr.
Field Representative
Ray Carpenter
Vice President
PAGE 14
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Russ Garnett
Business Manager/Financial Secretary
Executive Board
Jim Breneman, James Dittemore,
Tim Kelley, Sean Maybee
Sean Maybee
Recording Secretary
William J. Havens
Warden
Samantha Henson
Office Manager
DECEMBER 19, 2014