Eugene/Springfield PeaceHealth home care nurses authorize a strike after nearly a year of negotiations

Miranda Cyr, Eugene Register-Guard
·3 min read
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PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services nurses with the Oregon Nurses Association union hold a press conference to announce the vote to authorize a strike after failed contract negotiations. Jo Turner, center, a hospice nurse and member of ONA’s executive committee at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services, said a significant majority of voters were in favor of a strike.

PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services nurses authorized a strike after 10 months of standstill with negotiations.

Eugene/Springfield home care and hospice nurses expressed their frustration and talked about the next steps during a press conference on Friday.

There are about 90 nurses at Sacred Heart Home Care Services who are members of the Oregon Nurses Association union. These nurses do home visits, serving some of the most vulnerable patients in Lane County, many of whom are in the final days, weeks or months of their lives, in the comfort of their own homes. Between the 90 nurses, they are treating over 500 patients.

Jo Turner, a hospice nurse and member of ONA’s executive committee at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services, said she was among the "significant majority" of participating ONA nurses who voted in favor of a strike on Dec. 27 and 28. ONA did not share the exact percentage that voted to authorize a strike.

The home care nurses have been bargaining with PeaceHealth since February. ONA stated that PeaceHealth continues to offer home care nurses "inequitable compensation offers." ONA has claimed that home care nurses have received equal pay to hospital nurses historically, but PeaceHealth is now offering lower pay compared to in-hospital nurses.

Turner said all home care nurses want is equal treatment.

"We have been meeting with PeaceHealth executives for more than a year ... trying to reach a fair agreement that allows us to retain, recruit and respect our nurses, raise patient standards, put people over profits and give our community the care it deserves," Turner said. "Home care nurses are only asking for the same fair treatment (and) standards that PeaceHealth executives agreed to with our hospital colleagues."

Turner added this is the first time nurses in the Eugene/Springfield area have authorized a strike in more than 40 years.

U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle spoke in support of the home care nurses, sharing her personal experience with hospice.

"It's unconscionable that we're here at this place," Hoyle said. "My mother just went into hospice, and she is lucky enough to be able to have home health care nurses come into her home so that she can be comfortable and die with dignity. What this does when we have home health care nurses is it saves our system money because you don't have someone in a hospital with a higher level of care."

Hoyle said she called PeaceHealth, emphasizing the value of home care nurses and urging PeaceHealth to pay these nurses fairly.

The nurses have been working under their old contract since it expired in April 2023, but since then, almost a quarter of home care nurses have left the agency, according to ONA. Some home care nurses are leaving the healthcare profession, while others are transitioning into the hospital system for better pay. ONE stated an additional third of current home care nurses plan to leave in the next year if they do not reach what they consider to be a fair contract.

Turner said the home care nurses are stretched thin, and more nurses are leaving all the time.

The home care nurses have another negotiation meeting scheduled for Jan. 5. Turner said they are "hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst." The nurses are not planning to strike before that meeting.

"We're giving PeaceHealth another chance to come to that table with a fair and decent contract," Turner said. "Deep in our hearts we know our patients come first, but if PeaceHealth leaves us no other option than to strike, then that's something we must do."

If a strike is called, ONA will provide a 10-day notice to the Eugene/Springfield community and PeaceHealth executives to allow PeaceHealth time to connect patients to alternate care options or to reach a contract agreement with the union.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene/Springfield PeaceHealth home care nurses authorize a strike