News

Early this morning, the Techs and Service and Maintenance units at PeaceHealth Southwest and the Lab Professional unit at PeaceHealth St. John put in their ten-day notice to strike. Last week these workers voted to authorize a strike at 95%, citing stalled negotiations, critically short staffing levels, low wages, and management’s bad faith bargaining as the cause. Many of these healthcare workers, who are members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), AFT Local 5017, AFL-CIO, have been in negotiations over their next union contract for months without reaching an

Today, Wednesday, October 11th, over 1,300 members of the PeaceHealth Tech, Service and Maintenance, and Lab Pro bargaining units will be picketing at both PeaceHealth Southwest and PeaceHealth St. John as they demand improved patient staffing, living wages, and a fair contract. Last week these workers voted by a rate of 95% to authorize a strike at both hospitals. Many of these healthcare workers, who are members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), AFT Local 5017, have been in negotiations over their next union contract for months. The workers say that

Last week,  the Service and Maintenance and Tech healthcare workers at PeaceHealth Southwest and the Lab Professionals at PeaceHealth St. John voted to authorize a strike at both hospitals by 95%, with 93% of these healthcare workers participating in the vote. Many of these healthcare workers, who are members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), AFT Local 5017, have been in negotiations over their next union contract for months. These workers say that they were pushed to authorize a strike because management refused to bargain in good faith, put reasonable

The Coalition is going on strike, what do I need to know as a union sibling at Kaiser?

OFNHP stands in solidarity with striking workers and has provided Kaiser with notice of our intent to participate in concerted activities including informational picketing. Our members have different restrictions depending on their CBAs, and we want to make sure everyone can confidently show their support for their coworkers following the below guidelines.

Can we engage in a sympathy strike?

No, our contracts are in place until 2025, we cannot strike or otherwise stop our own work. We can show

A new survey shows that short staffing at Kaiser Permanente is even more severe than previously understood. A study conducted by the Alliance of Healthcare Unions, a coalition of nearly twenty union locals including two in Oregon and Southwest Washington, shows that 90% of Kaiser departments are facing short staffing. The OR/Southwest WA coalition includes ILWU Local 28, which represents the security officers at Kaiser, and OFNHP - AFT Local 5017, which represents nearly 4,000 RNs and health professionals. Both locals say that short staffing is creating crisis conditions for both workers and

November 29th

Yesterday, well after midnight and after hours of negotiating, we finally reached a Tentative Agreement (TA)! That means that just like our union siblings at Southwest and St. John, we have a new union contract to vote on. We won some amazing contract additions, including a total of 15% wage raises (6% the first year, 5% the second, and 4% the third) over the life of the contract. This is miles beyond what management had wanted to offer, yet we were able to reach it because of the strength and activism we showed as a unit and the support we got from our allies. These raises

200 Techs from PeaceHealth Southwest and supporters rallied amidst 100 degree heat on Wednesday, July 19th, demanding that PeaceHealth offer reasonable raises, a fair contract, and solve the staffing crisis. These Techs have been working without a contract since June 30th, and are now asking that PeaceHealth resolve their historically low wages so that they can attract and retain qualified staff.

“The staffing crisis is a result of unbelievably low wages, which have not kept up with the cost of living in this area and are driving staff away from PeaceHealth,” says Shawna Ross, an Ultrasound