Yesterday, Governor Kate Brown issued a State of Emergency regarding the healthcare situation across Oregon. Given the dramatic rise of flu cases at the same time as the most recent COVID-19 spikes, they anticipated healthcare facilities and hospitals to be stretched beyond our previous limits. While we have been calling on employers to improve staffing at our hospitals and clinics long before COVID and now RSV. Now, we are in a massive staffing crisis all across the country, and this new order allows for our Oregon employers to disregard many of the staffing standards that we know are

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.

Workplace safety and prevention is a central piece of what we are fighting for as healthcare unions and it is time our employers take this issue as seriously as we do

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.

On the evening of December 7th, we will be going through how to have these conversations, how to break down their component parts, and how to approach your coworkers

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.

According to the report, nurses and other healthcare workers are exhausted, burnt out, anxious and leaving the profession in droves, a trend that began long before the COVID-19 pandemic and can be addressed with a series of key interventions and policy recommendations

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.

In Oregon, Tina Kotek has been named as our new governor.  This was a major success for our union as she was a necessary pathway to support our legislative agenda, including a bill on staffing, that we hope to see move in the 2023 session.  

Christina Stephenson won the race for Labor Commissioner (the top seat at BOLI) She is a former civil rights attorney and working mom, and she ran on a platform

As you may have seen or read on the news, there was a safety event at the Westside Medical Center. This is frightening both for staff and for our patients, and we strive to ensure that our workplace is a safe place to encourage healing.

With everything going on in the community and in our professions, we wanted to ensure you and our members know what resources are available within Kaiser Permanente and the American Federation of Teachers, Nurses and Health Professionals (AFT).

Additional Resources:

KPLEARN:

• Has Mental Health Training for Employees
• Course ID: IND:MHW EMP
• MH Training Resource List