Nurses at St. Charles Health System in Bend are taking the first steps toward a potential strike, as union leaders launched a strike authorization vote Tuesday morning.
The vote will last until May 21, after which the union will release the results. Should a majority of members vote yes, then the nurses will be authorized to go on strike.
Nearly 1,000 nurses make up the bargaining unit, which is managed by the Oregon Nurses Association.
The union and hospital executives have been negotiating a new contract for the past five months, the union said in a written statement Tuesday. The union said it is seeking solutions to widespread staffing problems that are leading to overworked nurses.
The strike vote comes amid increased tension between the union and the hospital, which is also Central Oregon’s largest employer. Nurses from the union recently filed several complaints with the Oregon Health Authority, arguing the hospital violated its own staffing requirements.
OHA previously found St. Charles had violated staffing requirements in 2017, 2021 and 2022.
St. Charles recently gave nurses a 5% raise in pay in an effort to boost retention and reduce the number of nursing vacancies, which the union said was more than 300 as of March 24. A St. Charles spokesperson said last week they are recruiting for 84 positions.
The hospital recently reported a positive balance sheet in its finances, as The Bulletin reported, in stark contrast to the tens of millions of dollars lost in previous years.
In order to cut expenses, the hospital laid off more than 100 non-medical workers in 2022. St. Charles also recently announced it would reduce the number of travel nurses, who are typically more expensive than paying staff members to fill gaps, it contracts.
It’s not the first time St. Charles has had workers potentially strike. In 2021, the union representing technical workers at the hospital went on strike for more than week, after failing to secure a contract with the hospital.
Staffing has been an ongoing issue for St. Charles and hospitals across the state. St. Charles briefly declared crisis standards of care — without notifying the public — last July, as the number of workers could not handle patient volume at the time.
Representatives from the Oregon Nurses Association and St. Charles could not be immediately reached for comment.
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