Striking Providence workers must return by Feb. 28 to keep benefits, as union provides financial aid through a hardship fund.
OREGON, USA — Striking Providence health care workers will lose their health benefits Feb. 28, according to a message sent to workers last week from Providence.
“Since the beginning of the strike, Providence and ONA have been clear that health care benefits for striking caregivers would not continue indefinitely. Benefits have remained in place for January and February. Now, given the extended timeline of the strike, health care benefits will lapse for striking caregivers as of Feb. 28. These caregivers will receive information about COBRA in the mail,” Providence stated in the message.
Providence added in a separate statement to KGW that the suspension of benefits apply to all of those who do not return to work, which would mean St. Vincent physicians, who voted to ratify their contract Feb. 8th but are still striking in solidarity with St. Vincent nurses, would also lose their coverage.
Health care workers at the picket line at Providence Portland Medical Center said Sunday that they believe this is simply a “tactic” from Providence.
“I think that it is one of their tactics for scaring us and making us think that this is going to go on forever, I think most people out on this line are hoping they are just going to come back to the table and negotiate fairly and give us what we need, so that we can get back to work before the end of the month,” said Molly Burtchaell, a labor and delivery nurse.
“When they send out a letter like that telling us that we’re going to lose our health insurance, it has as you know, big impacts for all of us,” she continued.
She is responsible for insuring her family.
“We’re gonna get all our healthcare needs taken care of before the end of the month, and back pay COBRA I guess if we have an event, a health event that comes up,” she said.
“We’re trying to figure out where we’re going to go,” said Kelly Peeler, who expressed concern about COBRA payments. “We’ve gone without a few paychecks now, and resources are stretching thin.”
“We don’t want to go get other jobs,” she said.
“Someone that I work with on a daily basis in the emergency department, she has a little girl, who requires an infusion every two weeks,” said Richard Botterill, a nurse at PPMC and the chair of their bargaining unit. “She’s going to go with COBRA, because that way she’s guarantee to have that prescription continued.”
“A lot of nurses are getting part-time jobs elsewhere. Might be in nursing, it might be Uber, Uber Eats, I mean a whole bunch of different things,” he said.
Botterill noted that struggling workers can apply to a Hardship Fund for financial assistance.
Providence noted that Oregon Nurses Association had advised their members about the potential for their benefits to be suspended, which ONA confirmed.
“Those striking caregivers who return to work by Feb. 28 will not see a suspension of their benefits,” Providence informed members.
“Providence is continuing to work with federal mediators to schedule additional mediation sessions,” they wrote Sunday in a statement.
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