By Louise Goodman April 19, 2021
BEND, Ore. Medical technicians, therapists and other workers at St. Charles Medical Center overwhelmingly ratified their first union contract March 31. They had voted to join the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals in 2019 and had been fighting for a contract ever since. St. Charles is the only hospital here, and the largest employer in central Oregon.
The contract was approved by almost 95%, respiratory therapist Deidre Moore told the
Militant. While wage gains of up to 25% were won for some positions, she said the fight for a contract was about a lot more then money. “It’s about having a voice and being treated fairly.”
Redmond man killed in crash that injured two Prineville residents April 07 2021
A Redmond motorist died in a two-vehicle collision that injured two Prineville men Tuesday morning.
Redmond Police Department (RPD) reports that shortly after 8:15 a.m., personnel from RPD and Redmond Fire and Rescue responded to the crash, involving two pickups, south of Northwest Sixth Street and Northwest Quince Avenue.
A preliminary investigation determined that 79-year-old Redmond man Archie Carrol was driving a black 2000 Toyota Tundra north on Sixth Street, just north of Oak Tree Lane. His vehicle crossed the roadway and collided with a blue 2004 Ford F150, which was traveling south on Sixth Street. Carrol died at the scene of the accident.
Redmond Man Killed In Head-On Crash mycentraloregon.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mycentraloregon.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
(Update: Adding video, comments from workers)
Union claims big advances; hospital claims they missed out on raises, are getting same salaries as others
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) Medical techs, technologists and therapists at St. Charles Bend voted Wednesday to ratify their first union contract, a 3-year pact that the union says raises pay an average 25% and marks a new stage of labor peace and partnership with the hospital.
But St. Charles issued a statement of its own that painted a very different picture of the contract, saying the workers missed out on raises they would have gotten since unionizing in late 2019 and are not getting larger raises or higher salaries than the non-union workers in similar positions at their other three hospitals are getting.
St. Charles Workers Agree On Contract
Union workers at St. Charles Medical Center ratified their first contract Wednesday. The medical techs, technologists, and therapists first voted to unionize in 2019 and voted to strike for nine days in March.
“We have won a groundbreaking new contract, which raises our wages an average of 25% and ensures that we have a strong voice at work.” says Frank Dewolf, a technologist in the Cardiac Cath Lab.
“This contract proves, once again, that when you come together as a union you can accomplish what isn’t possible alone,” says Randi Weingarten, the president of the 1.7 million member American Federation of Teachers, of which OFNHP is an affiliate. “I am so proud of the newest members of the OFNHP and AFT family who organized for years and fought fiercely at the bargaining table and on the picket line to win a fair first contract. This historic agreement delivers on their faith with immediate boosts to pay and conditions and a perman