Doctors, Nurses Tell Legacy Health They Plan to Unionize as OHSU Purchase Looms

Doctors, nurses and physician assistants at Legacy Health informed CEO Kathryn Correia today that they plan to unionize, in part because of “grave concerns” about Oregon Health & Science University’s effort to purchase its struggling crosstown rival.

OHSU announced plans to take over Legacy last month in a deal that would create the Portland metro area’s largest employer, with 32,000 doctors, nurses and other staff, and 10 hospitals.

“Over the last few years, we have seen Legacy make unilateral decisions that affect our ability to provide safe and effective patient care,” Legacy staff wrote in a letter to Correia that was obtained by WW. “A pervasive emphasis on revenue over patient safety and staff well-being permeates our work environment. Additionally, we have grave concerns about how the proposed merger with OHSU will affect changes to essential services, workflow, and priorities of productivity over patients and staff. During this monumental change, we want to retain our voice in the operations that affect our staff and care of our patients.”

About 180 Legacy staffers signed the letter. In it, they ask Correia to recognize them as a formal collective bargaining unit. They gave a deadline of 7 am Friday, Sept. 29, to do so.

“We find it essential to form a union in order to cultivate our shared clinical voices and advocate for a better future for our patients, community, and our hospital system,” the staff wrote. “Ultimately, we are on the front lines of health and illness, and we feel compelled to use our collective values to help guide Legacy Health back on a path to value patients over profits and nurture a future where we all have an equal seat and voice at the table.”

The push is the latest, largest effort to unionize workers at Legacy. In August, staff at Legacy’s Unity Center for Behavioral Health voted to unionize with the Oregon Nurses Association, following nurses at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham. Nurses at Legacy Silverton Medical Center are unionized, too.

Legacy has struggled financially in recent years, as costs have risen. Legacy lost $172 million from operations in the fiscal year that ended March 31, on revenue of $2.6 billion.

Legacy Health didn’t immediately answer questions about the union drive.