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Nearly 3,400 workers from Kaiser Permanente in Oregon have voted to authorize a strike. With a staggering 90% participation rate, the vote count was to strike by 96%, meaning of those who voted, 96% voted Yes. This is an unprecedented strike authorization vote, showing total unity amongst Kaiser workers to stage a strike over issues like safe staffing, patient care, and a fair contract.

“Our members turned out in record numbers to say that they are willing to do what it takes to save patient care in Oregon,” says Jodi Barschow, a Kaiser Sunnyside RN and President of the Oregon Federation of

Nearly 3,400 workers began a strike authorization vote last night that will determine whether or not one of the biggest healthcare strikes in Oregon’s history takes place in the coming weeks. This strike authorization vote has come after months of dangerous or nonexistent proposals from Kaiser Permanente management, including a “two-tier” compensation proposal that would damage patient care in the future. 

“Kaiser claims that we are paid above market rate, but this is absolutely false,” says Jodi Barschow, a Kaiser Sunnyside RN and President of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health

After months of negotiations and low wage proposals that workers say would accelerate the staffing crisis, union workers are voting on whether or not to authorize a strike. 

PORTLAND, Ore.— The staff at Kaiser Permanente represented by the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP) will join members of several other unions across the country in voting to authorize a strike. Negotiations both at the local level and at the national level as a part of the 21-union Alliance of Healthcare Unions, have started to break down as Kaiser offers low 1% hourly wage raises and a two-tiered

PeaceHealth Strike FAQ

What is a strike exactly?

When bargaining fails to result in a contract we can be proud of, a strike is our last option where union workers, together, refuse to go to work, shifting the balance of power and showing the employer how essential we are.

When would a strike occur?

A strike can only occur after the contracts have expired, and all of them will expire by September 30th.

How much notice do we have to give to the employer?

Ten days.

How is a strike determined?

Only a vote of the OFNHP membership would determine whether or not we go on strike

OFNHP will also be holding a dial-in tele-town hall event on July 1st from 6:00-7:30pm where I will present our progress at the national table, where we are bargaining with Kaiser Permanente as part of the 20 union Alliance, as well as answer questions for those interested in learning more.

Click Here to Register for the Tele-Town Hall

This Nurse’s Week, we want to reflect on what the last year has been like for nurses and health professionals. As frontline healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we have lived with the kind of trauma and stress that few will ever have to face. We have seen our patients suffer, our coworkers pushed to the breaking point, and have looked around as communities struggled to stay afloat. Our entire country saw us for the heroes that we are: they cannot do it without us.

While we have been doing the work of saving lives, many of the executives in these hospitals and clinics have raked in

On April 27th, over a hundred union members and supporters walked the picket line at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center over the problems facing the Emergency Department over the proceeding several months. Workers yelled chants, held signs, and helped to raise the voice of the Emergency Department staff, who have put up with dismal working conditions as they fight to give their patients the best care possible.

“What we are trying to do here is draw attention to issues of supply, cleanliness, staffing and staff retention that have been plaguing our department for years.  With a 57%

On April 27^th the nurses and healthcare professionals at the Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center’s Emergency Department will be joining an informational picket to raise the issues of staffing ratios, departmental changes, and patient care. These workers are members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), and are asking that management address many of the concerns that they fear could interfere with their ability to provide patient care.

“We know that when nurses and healthcare professionals have a say in how care is provided, and when we maintain safe staffing levels

PeaceHealth terminated a Pharmarchy Tech, claiming she violated HIPPA. As a Pharmacy Tech that was working in the Emergency Department doing Med Recs, part of her duties is to review the patients file for details needed to completer the work. The Employer claimed she took a deep dive into the patients record and after going through the grievance process we advanced it to Arbitration.

OFNHP provided witness testimony and documents to support that this employee was doing her job. One interesting fact was the Arbitrator ruled that her Weingarten rights were violated when the Pharmacy Manager told