As the strike at St. Charles Medical Center heads into its fifth day, the hospital is still refusing to negotiate with their workers and ensure adequate staffing and patient care. The medical therapists, technicians, and technologists, who voted by a record 94% to go on strike, have continued to walk the picket line each and every day with increasing community support. Nurses and other hospital staff acting in their capacity as community members have regularly joined the picket, as have community, civil, and political leaders from around Oregon. Leaders like Representative Jason Kropf and District Attorney John Hummel have walked the picket line with these workers, showing that the state is united behind the union’s fight for fairness and respect. Now, the hospital has gone so far as to issue a refusal to allow the techs to come back to work, which runs counter to their claims that the techs are essential and important staff.
The nurses at St. Charles have raised serious concerns about how the hospital has handled negotiations. “The claim that the ‘hospital is open and providing care as usual’ made by hospital administration is not accurate, and it is simply impossible given the current circumstances. There are replacement surgical and radiology technicians on site, but they are not trained to the level that our native techs are as to the equipment, policies, best practices, and staff,” says Corey Sattler, an RN at St. Charles.
The striking medical techs are open to negotiations at any time, yet the hospital refuses to bargain until March 10th, leaving all of Central Oregon in uncertainty. In the first four days of the strike, the community donated over $25,000 to the strike fund, and each day the picket line has been joined by people from all around the Bend area. Unions around the state have issued statements of support, including the Teamsters, who are refusing to cross the picket line for deliveries. As we head into our fourth day, the support is only continuing to grow as the hospital’s mismanagement is drawing nationwide attention. The medical techs are ready to return to work immediately upon settling a fair first union contract with St. Charles management.
Right now, St. Charles is in full control of when this strike ends, but is choosing to ignore the wishes of the community, staff, and healthcare professionals by prolonging the strike indefinitely. The medical techs have maintained unity from the beginning and will continue to walk the picket line until they win fair working conditions.