Medical techs at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend sent notice today that they will be walking out on strike in ten days.
The decision comes after more than a year of negotiating their first union contract, according to a news release from the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals:
“Where management refused to agree to fair wage and working condition proposals and is stalling on setting reasonable bargaining dates. Management’s unwillingness to settle the contract has pushed these essential healthcare employees to take a stand so that they can gain living wages and a voice on the job. The medical techs voted by more than 94% to authorize the strike and sent the ten-day notice of striking shortly after authorization.”
“Management has been unwilling to agree to common sense proposals that can help both staff and patients, and this is our last resort to improve the conditions at the hospital,” says DeeDee Schumacher, an ultrasound technologist who has worked at St. Charles for 40 years. “We don’t want to strike and would rather continue working in our community, so we hope the hospital will avert this by settling a fair contract.”
After winning a union election in 2019, this unit of frontline caregivers has been bargaining their first contract for more than a full year.
Over the weekend of January 31st and February 1st the techs held an informational picket at the hospital. On December 3, 2020, the hospital canceled bargaining and only agreed to return to the bargaining table following that picket.
“We know that when frontline health workers do not receive the support they need, then patient care can also suffer. Since our patients are our top priority, the technologists, technicians, and therapists are calling on the hospital to do the right thing for both their community and staff. Over 90% of these techs report being under paid, and management’s proposals would not allow for adequate wage adjustments,” the release stated.
