PORTLAND, Ore. — About 5,000 hospital workers walked off the job Friday when they picketed all eight Providence hospitals in Oregon, in what the state health workers union described as the largest health care strike in Oregon history — and the first involving doctors.
Most of those participating in the endless strike are nurses. But in a rare move, dozens of doctors at a Portland hospital and six women’s clinics are also participating, making it the state’s first physician strike, according to the Oregon Nurses Association.
The strike came after more than a year of negotiations failed to produce an agreement on staffing levels, wages and benefits.
The union has described ”chronic understaffing” as harmful to patient care and has called on members to get caseloads reduced, wages raised and benefits improved. Providence says it has made offers of pay increases and was “fully committed” to reaching an agreement.
Providence said it expected up to 70 doctors to strike at the Providence St. Vincent in Portland, including hospitalists, obstetrics hospitalists who provide care for pregnant women and palliative care doctors who work with patients with serious illness or injury. It added that surgeons and emergency physicians were not on strike.
In anticipation of the strike, Providence said Monday it would begin restricting admissions and limiting the number of patients at Portland hospitals.
“We will postpone or reschedule procedures that require hospital care support as needed, and we anticipate longer delays in our emergency department and more ambulance diversions,” Raymond Moreno, the hospital’s chief medical officer, said in a news release Monday.
Several Oregon lawmakers have expressed support for the striking health care workers.
