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Senator Meek urges Providence to meet striking health care workers' demands on staffing and pay
Summary
Senator Meek spoke in support of more than 5,000 Providence health care workers on strike, urged compliance with Oregon's safe staffing law, and called on the Providence system to improve wages and benefits.
Senator Meek used remonstrance time to announce her support for striking Providence health care workers and to press Providence management to address staffing, wages and employee health-care costs.
Meek said, “Every single day, these health care workers provide important care to patients in their communities, often working long hours under difficult conditions.” She said more than 5,000 health care professionals at Providence locations across Oregon are on strike and named communities with striking employees, including Seaside, Milwaukee, Portland, Newburgh, Medford and Hood River.
Meek urged Providence to “invest in patient safety and stop cutting health care services,” to “comply with the safe staffing law to ensure adequate staffing levels,” and to offer “competitive wages and benefits to recruit and retain caregivers.” She also said some staff face high personal costs, noting employees sometimes face “$5,000 out of pocket cost for care at their own workplace.”
Meek criticized Providence's resources and pay scale: “Providence is a $30,000,000,000 corporation whose CEO makes more than $12,000,000 a year. I am sure that Providence can figure out a way to support these workers.” Her remarks were delivered during the remonstrances portion of the Senate; no formal motion or legislative action followed.
