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A group of Portland-area clinicians is set to strike on Tuesday, Dec. 2, after 18 months of unsuccessful negotiations with Legacy Health.
The roughly 135 workers poised to walk off the job include nurse practitioners, physician associates, certified nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists who work at Legacy hospitals and clinics throughout the Portland area.
With pickets planned outside Legacy Emanuel and Good Samaritan Medical Centers, they seek to agitate for compensation on par with counterparts in other area health systems.
In a statement, Legacy says it will not negotiate while the strike notice—or any active strike—remains in effect, and that it has activated “contingency plans” to ensure continuity of care for patients.
It says it offered the workers a competitive 10% average pay bump. “We understand employees may compare our compensation to other local systems,” it said in a statement, emphasizing that a high proportion of its patients rely on government programs like Medicaid, which generally pay less than commercial insurance plans. “Each health system operates within its own financial and economic environment. Legacy’s realities are not the same as others.”
The union says pay at Legacy lags behind competitors like Oregon Health & Science University and Kaiser Permanente.
“With Legacy’s current contract offer, my colleagues will leave for better-paying, better-supported jobs elsewhere—leaving patients with fewer, less experienced providers when they need us the most,” physicians assistant Leigh Warsing said in a statement. “Legacy management needs to return to the table and negotiate a fair contract that retains experienced providers and protects the safety of every patient who comes through our doors.”
The Oregon Nurses Association says it has offered to meet with Legacy every day leading up to the strike, but Legacy has refused. The workers “remain ready, willing, and able to negotiate around the clock to reach an agreement and avert a strike,” the union said.
