Northwest labor press., January 18, 2019, Page 8, Image 8

PAGE 8 | January 18, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Central Oregon
nurses to picket
St. Charles on
MLK Day
In a near unanimous vote, ap-
proximately 900 nurses at St.
Charles Medical Center in
Bend have elected to take up
picket signs in support of a
fair union contract.
The nurses, represented by
Oregon Nurses Association
(ONA), have been engaged in
negotiations with the em-
ployer for a new contract
since June 2018. Along with
a fair cost of living adjust-
ment and maintenance of
health insurance benefits, the
nurses are fighting for im-
provements to the safety of
staffing in the facility.
Since 2015, Bend nurses
have reported more than 600
unsafe or inadequate staffing
incidents at St. Charles Bend.
In 2017, the Oregon Health
Authority conducted an inde-
pendent investigation of
staffing at the facility. During
that investigation, the state
found hundreds of violations
of Oregon’s Hospital Nurse
Staffing Law. The employer
was ordered to comply with
the law, but, a year and a half
later, hospital executives still
haven’t fixed the problems.
Labor allies and commu-
nity members in Central Ore-
gon are welcomed and en-
couraged to join nurses on the
picket line. In recognition of
Dr. King’s work on behalf of
the poor and disenfranchised,
Oregon Nurses Association
will be collecting food for
needy families during the
event. If possible, please
bring a non-perishable food
item with you.
If you don’t live nearby but
would like to support the
nurses, visit bit.ly/2RsRqh1
to sign an online petition in
support of St. Charles nurses.
For more information, con-
tact Oregon Nurses Associa-
tion Labor Relations Repre-
sentative Lydia Hallay at
hallay@oregonrn.org
Informational Picket in
Support of ONA Nurses
■ Time: Monday, January 21
7:30 - 9:30am and 11:30am - 3:30pm
(two sessions- come to either or both)
■ Place: Outside St. Charles Hospital,
along Neff Rd. (between NE
Williamson Blvd. and Medical Center
Drive)