A Win for Hospital Workers and Patients Across Oregon
We did it! We passed the strongest safe staffing law in the country in Oregon, and Governor Tina Kotek just has signed the Safe Staffing bill (HB 2697) into law!
SEIU Local 49 members were pivotal in making this law happen. We asked any candidate for office if they would stand with us to improve staffing before we endorsed them, we got out votes for elected leaders who had our backs, we made contributions to our political action COPE fund, and we went to the Oregon state Capitol to speak out about how safe staffing improves quality patient care.
Together, we made the best safe staffing law in the country a reality!
What's included in the new staffing law:
Two NEW Staffing Committees: This law creates two new committees to address staffing concerns in hospitals across Oregon.
Service Committee for:
EVS
Dietary
CNAs
OR Techs
Surgical Techs
and Others
Technical and Professional Committee for
RTs
Imaging,
Pharmacists
PTs,
and Others
First-in-the-nation ratios for CNAs!
CNAs can have no more than 7 patients on day and evening shifts and no more than 11 patients on nights.
Meals and rest breaks MUST be covered or hospitals will be required to pay impacted employees $200.
Real consequences for NOT following the staffing plans:
1st time: Warning
2nd time: $2,500 fine
Repeated Violations: $5,000 per violation
If you are an SEIU Local 49 healthcare member in Oregon and want to know more about the staffing committees and how you can be a part of this new chapter in our state, sign up here:
When Will The Safe Staffing Law Go Into Effect?
Let's keep our labor victories going! Contribute to COPE.
This work and the improvements for working families are successful in no small part due to donations to our political program, COPE. You can do your part by signing up to contribute today.
SEIU 49 members are committed to social and economic justice. We work hard to campaign for candidates and pass laws that improve the lives of working families in our region and around the country.
Through small, voluntary contributions to Committee On Political Education (COPE), SEIU members have created a strong voice for working people in our State Capitols. COPE allows us to have a direct impact on key issues in our communities such as good jobs, affordable housing and paid family leave.
