It’s shaping up to be a hot summer for labor activity in health care. Nurses at Providence Health Systems in Portland and Seaside held a five-day strike. Nurses at St. Charles medical center in Bend voted to strike but reached an agreement with the hospital system before the strike was to begin. Nurses at Oregon Health & Science University held informational pickets in Portland, Astoria and Hillsboro, and nurses at PeaceHealth held similar pickets in Eugene and Springfield. And—with the exception of the St. Charles strike vote, which happened in late May — that’s just June. While this summer has so far shaped up to be an exceptional one when it comes to labor activity in health care, it’s not coming out of nowhere. First, though the numbers tell a more complicated story, it’s true that there’s more awareness of and support for labor unions in general—and more workers organizing and raising awareness of labor issues. Nationally, the rate of union membership is at an alltime low, with just 10.1% of American workers This summer has seen a flashpoint of labor activity among Oregon health care workers. FROM THE BEDSIDE TO THE PICKET LINE BY JASON E. KAPLAN AND CHRISTEN McCURDY PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN 25
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