Member Benefits
How to Join
En Espanol
In another victory for healthcare organizing, more than 200 resource pool nurses working at Legacy hospitals in Oregon and Washington voted overwhelmingly to join the Oregon Nurses Association. Resource pool nurses “float” between Legacy’s hospitals to fill vacancies in specialty units, including hospital emergency departments, operating rooms, family birth centers, pediatric care centers, behavioral health departments and more.
The nurses’ unique role as “super-subs” allows them to serve diverse communities across Oregon and Washington and help solve both hospital-specific and systemwide care issues. They play a crucial role in keeping care consistent, safe and responsive. Their decision to unionize comes as part of a larger wave of Legacy healthcare workers organizing for better working conditions and stronger patient advocacy.
“My resource pool colleagues are some of the most skilled, caring and flexible nurses I know. We treat the patient in front of us like they’re our own mom or dad. But given the growing uncertainty in healthcare, we knew we needed a voice in Legacy’s decision-making to protect what makes our group special and ensure our patients aren’t left behind,” says Taeryn Gelowicz, Legacy resource pool nurse.
The newly unionized nurses plan to prioritize adequate staffing, safe workplaces, increased transparency and provider input into corporate decision-making to ensure patients’ needs come first in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape, as they prepare to bargain a first contract with Legacy.
“Nurses are the most trusted professionals in the United States because we’ve always fought for what’s best for patients. That’s what unionizing is. A bunch of workers coming together to make sure our patients get the best care and nurses get the tools and support we need to provide that care to anyone who needs it,” says Tristan Drury, Legacy resource pool nurse.
“I love my job, my co-workers and my patients. I chose to unionize because I want a voice to protect the things that I love,” says Jeff Poulsen, Legacy resource pool nurse. “Our ability to fill in the gaps and make sure patients don’t feel the pain of nurse shortages is essential. Looking around you can see healthcare is changing locally and nationally. Without a union, we don’t have a say in how those changes impact our patients or our staff. We unionized to make sure the people patients trust with their lives have a say in how we do our work.”
The July 8 vote marks another milestone in a series of union elections at Legacy. Earlier this year, more than 2,300 nurses at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, and Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center voted to join ONA in a historic election. ONA also represents nurses at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, Legacy Silverton Medical Center, and outpatient clinics; nurses and health professionals at Legacy’s Unity Center for Behavioral Health; and advanced practice providers at Legacy hospitals, urgent care centers and women’s clinics.
[Adrienne Coles, ONA press release]