Nearly 5K frontline healthcare workers issue strike notice to Providence

The biggest health care strike in state history was announced this morning. Not only do Providence nurses intend to walk out next week, but for the first time ever, doctors are joining in. Fox News Julia Lopez joins us now live from St. Vincent's Hospital. Julia, how many health care workers are we talking about here? 5,000 and that's across each hospital, each Providence hospital in Oregon. Now I've spoken with each side and it's safe to say that nobody wanted to be in this position today. Racing not only for a nurse's strike, but now for a doctor's strike as well. No one patient can be too certain that they're getting the level of attention they need. That's what's driving the 5,000 nurses and doctors to walk out of all eight Providence hospitals on January 10th. The news that this involves physicians, that's difficult and it's different. Dr. Moreno says after more than a year of negotiations with the Oregon Nurses Association, Providence was prepared for another nurse's strike. But this is the first time in state history doctors are joining the picket line. We're losing health care workers, hemorrhaging them really to other health care systems that are offering better benefits, better workplace protections, and we're just really asking for equivalence with the Portland metro area. The big concern for doctors, he says, is safe staffing. ONA says staff are spread thin under current contracts. They want to say in daily assignments based on severity of the patient. We feel nurses who are actually delivering the services ought to have at least co-equal authority in making those kinds of assignments. He says Providence's offer gives deciding power to management. Providence says they're following Oregon's safe staffing law. It's been collaborative at the bargaining table and the language has a whole structure for committees and input and discussion. So I wouldn't characterize it as a management only piece. I don't agree with that characterization. Moreno adds they're offering nurses a 20 percent pay increase over three years. ONA says that still doesn't compete with other local systems. They're also asking for more comprehensive benefits. With no set end date for the strike, Providence is working to keep patients out of the crossfire. But its providers fear a strain across Oregon's health system is coming. We are very, very concerned for the impacts on our patients. When you think about nearly 5,000 health care workers not coming to work, that is an enormous amount of patient care need that will need to be diverted elsewhere. ONA leadership wants to get back to the negotiating table before the 10th in hopes of averting this historic strike. Providence tells me they just don't have the time. They are busy making sure that patients will continue to get care throughout the strike. Reporting live in southwest Portland, Julia Lopez, Fox 12 Oregon.