Nurses in Oregon take to the picket lines to demand better staffing, higher pay

More than 3,000 nurses at six Oregon hospitals spent a second day on the picket lines Wednesday carrying signs that say, “Patients over profits” and “We're out to ensure it's safe in there,” as they continued to demand fair wages and better staffing levels.

Nurses are striking at six Providence medical facilities across the state — from St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland in the north down to the Medford Medical Center in the south. Organizers say it's the largest nurses strike in the state's history, but emphasized that no patient's health is being put at risk, since Providence has hired contract workers to temporarily fill the void.

Scott Palmer, chief of staff with the Oregon Nurses Association, said nurses have been in negotiations since December but they “have not been able to get Providence to come to a fair contract.”

She said the focus of negotiations is on “recruitment and retention issues,” including wages, benefits and sufficient staffing standards.