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Health care workers strike Bend, Oregon, hospital
More than 150 medical technicians, technologists and therapists are on strike indefinitely at the St. Charles hospital in Bend, Oregon, in a strike that began March 4. Issues concern their first contract with the hospital, pay and manageable workloads. The strike was authorized by 94 percent of the workers at the region’s primary trauma center and the largest referral hospital. The health workers on strike are represented by the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP) Local 5017, which is an offshoot of the American Federation of Teachers.
The health care workers have not secured a first contract since voting to form a union in 2019. Some of them, such as respiratory therapists, and x-ray or computerized tomography (CT) technicians, have been specially trained and function as essential caregivers for COVID-19 patients.
Bargaining teams for St. Charles Bend and the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals met Wednesday for continued negotiations on a first-time contract. This session included a federal mediator in an effort to move the process forward. The parties exchanged proposals through the mediator in confidential sessions. "The bargaining teams engaged in some joint sessions throughout the day and the presence of the mediator was very helpful," said Aaron Adams, president of St. Charles Bend. "We are hopeful we can get back to the table soon for further discussion." The St. Charles bargaining team shared with the OFNHP team that the hospital is eager to get back to the table and resolve the situation, but continues to find it challenging to both bargain and run the hospital during a strike. For this reason, St. Charles has asked the union if its members would be willing to return to work so the hospital can create an environment in which its team could better fo
(Update: Hospital issues statement) Progress made but hospital left bargaining table Wednesday night, union says
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) Long hours of talks with a federal mediator Wednesday failed to resolve a strike by 150 medical tech workers at St. Charles Bend, now entering its second week, their union said Thursday.
The union claims progress was made, but hospital negotiators left around 9 p.m., rather than continue to bargain. The hospital, meanwhile, says it asked the union for its workers to return while talks continue.
Here s the full statement from the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, followed by one from St. Charles Health System.
Workers Struggles: The Americas
Latin America
Puerto Rican electrical workers union calls one-day strike over government energy contract
On March 3, the Electrical and Irrigation Workers Union (Utier) of Puerto Rico announced a 24-hour strike to begin at 10 PM, March 8. The purpose of the stoppage will be two-fold: to hold a protest at the Capitol and to publicly attend a presentation outside the Chamber of Representatives as part of the investigation of the contract between the administration of Governor Pedro Pierluisi and the Electrical Energy Authority (AEE) with LUMA Energy.
Union president Ángel Figueroa Jaramillo stated that the strike was called so that “all the AEE workers, represented by Utier, can see the presentation that the Alliance of Active and Retired Employees will put on this coming Tuesday where we will expose the truth of the contract with LUMA Energy and the government of Pedro Pierluisi that has already cost us more than $80 million, raises rates, elimin