It’s time to end the walkout at St. Charles Bend. The union strike by some 150 medical technicians enters its ninth day Friday (if an agreement is not struck late Thursday) after collective bargaining broke down prior to the March 4 strike.
Both sides were speaking with a mediator as of press time Thursday.
The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals organized about a year ago. Since that time, it has sought a contract with St. Charles and after some 28 meetings, there’s been no settlement. The last bargaining sessions were in early December.
There is not much information coming out of the mediation, so it’s hard to judge how far apart both sides are today. According to St. Charles and The Bulletin reporting, two core issues remain on the table: Compensation and union security.
The teams have agreed upon wages for the first year of the contract. Under this agreement, the average hourly wage for techs in the bargaining unit will be $41.94 per hour. However, wages for years two through five of the contract are still being negotiated, according to St. Charles.
The union has also requested a closed shop, meaning all St. Charles technical employees’ jobs would be conditional upon joining the union and paying 1.4% of their base wage in dues or paying agency fees and giving up voting rights. St. Charles has asked for an open shop in order to give its caregivers a choice on whether they are members of the union.
Medical staff inside the hospital have raised safety concerns over the administration hiring replacement workers who are just getting oriented to the work as the strike progresses. While the replacement workers may be well vetted, it’s not ideal for the best health care versus a med-tech who is from the community and understands the nuances of how this hospital functions.
St. Charles, for its part, took a big financial hit when it halted nonemergency surgeries this time last year as COVID-19 struck. It has been successful in reducing the number of COVID patients hospitalized, and it is the driving force in getting vaccines into the arms of county residents. That is a big effort on its part.
Both sides have much to gain and much to lose, and personal accusations and acrimony are starting to boil up, acerbating the issue. It’s time to bridge the gap in the talks and bring the walkout to an end.
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