OFNHP is bringing our collective voice to Salem to advocate for the interests of healthcare workers and the people we serve. In the middle our state of emergency, the Oregon Association Health and Hospital Systems (OAHHS) had the hubris to state in an open hearing that it is their intent to attempt to repeal the 2015 RN staffing law. They want to eliminate what limited protections we have for staffing in our hospitals.
As of 5:15 on January 10th, the President of Oregon Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals (OFNHP), Jonathon Baker, filed a "demand to bargain" setting the expectation that Kaiser Permanente negotiates with our Bargaining Unit leaders over the impacts of the recent situation with our members.
Jonathon has issued this statement upon the filing of the "demand to bargaing":
On January 3rd, the nurses and healthcare professionals at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and Southwest Washington filed a notice of an intent to hold a picket at Sunnyside Medical Center on the afternoon of January 13th.
After the December 7th State of Emergency declaration issued by Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s office, nurses and healthcare professionals are raising concerns about how this could further exacerbate the staffing crisis.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Douglas Brant, and everyone who was touched by the tragedy that took place on December 1st. RNs and healthcare professionals are on the frontlines of patient care, saving lives every day. Brant’s murder is a frightening and devastating example of violence that healthcare workers often face, something that haunts so many of us as we continue the work of keeping our communities safe.
Join us for a foundational training session that will give you the tools to have one-on-one union conversations with your coworkers and fellow union members that is focused on reaching organizing goals and engaging our membership. One-on-one "structured conversations" are the bedrock of the union organizing model, intended to highlight a person's workplace issues and move them from frustration to a place of empowerment and action.
WASHINGTON—A groundbreaking new report bringing together data and testimony from frontline healthcare workers details crippling shortages across the healthcare industry, revealing dangerous conditions for patients and healthcare professionals alike, exacerbated by profit-driven corporate leadership in the healthcare field.
In the leadup to the midterm elections, pundits predicted a red wave, even a tsunami, based on polls, historical precedent, and steep gas and grocery prices. But I had my doubts. I spent the weeks before the elections talking to voters and traveling on the AFT Votes bus, rolling through a dozen states with more than 50 stops. In a year when kitchen table issues, democracy and our freedoms were on the ballot, many people told me that the elections came down to a choice between, on the one side, election deniers and extremists stoking fear, and on the other, problem-solvers working to help the country move forward. Many races were close, but Americans turned the tide from a red wave to a swell of support for progress and problem-solvers. Read the full column here.
Election day has come and gone – and across the country, votes are still being tallied. Election day is not “results” day, and democracy depends on taking the time to count every single vote.
