The labor strife on display during a disruptive strike by Providence Health & Services nurses shows signs of spreading to other corners of the Oregon’s health care industry.

In the Portland area, more than 5,200 health care workers are either in contract negotiations or they’re on strike. Another 2,500 are considering joining a union or already have done so.

Providence, the largest health care operation in the state, has been hit the hardest. About 1,700 nurses have returned to work after a five-day strike. But the contract impasse continues and a strike could resume.

Another 80 physicians at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center just west of Portland will soon vote on whether to form a union. Most of the doctors are so-called hospitalists, meaning they treat patients admitted to the hospital.

“It may seem drastic to some people,” said Dr. Gabriel Hyder, one of the leaders of the St. Vincent doctors. “But we don’t feel heard. We’re on the front lines taking care of our community’s sickest patients. We need to be able to focus on quality, not quantity.”

Industry officials blame the pandemic for the worker discontent. Bryan Boehringer, head of the Oregon Medical Association, a professional organization for physicians and physician assistants, cited the “significant stress and burnout experienced by clinicians after the pandemic.”

Many are furious at the hospitals for cutting costs when a worn-down staff needed help. Hospitals argue that they had little choice when COVID-19 hit and their revenue declined.

Working conditions inside hospitals remain difficult. Many are crammed with patients who deferred health care during the pandemic and are now sicker than they might have been. Some hospitals continue to suffer significant financial losses, in part because they are warehousing patients. Those with addiction or mental health issues, as well as homeless patients, sometimes remain in hospitals for weeks, even months, because they have nowhere else to go.

“The conversation around union representation to address staffing shortages and improve patient safety clearly has gained momentum,” Boehringer added.

The rash of organizing in Oregon is not an anomaly. According to data released by the National Labor Relations Board, the number of union elections held in the United States in 2022 increased by 50% over the previous year.

The pattern has continued this year, according to the labor lawyers at the Dorsey & Whitney law firm. Furthermore, the law firm said, “the odds of winning such elections are stacked against employers. In 2022, 72% of elections were in favor of the union.”

Hyder said he was inspired by the doctors and other caregivers in the emergency department at Providence Hospital Medford. They successfully unionized earlier this year.

Dr. David Levin has worked for the Medford hospital for 12 years. He said he and others on the staff were fed up with Providence’s austerity demands. The tipping point for Levin came when management decided it could no longer afford having 24-hour physician coverage of the intensive care unit.

Instead, the emergency room doctors would also keep tabs on the ICU.

“We were getting really concerned about patient safety,” Levin said.

In another Rogue Valley example, health care workers in technical roles at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center voted decisively to unionize in June.

Providence St. Vincent said it shares its doctors’ concerns.

“We respect the rights of physicians and caregivers who choose to seek union representation,” said Providence spokeswoman Lisa Helderop in a written statement. “That said, we believe in an ongoing direct relationship with the hospitalists who provide care at Providence St. Vincent is the best way to serve the communities that rely on us for health care.”

Helderop added that promises from union organizers tend to be overblown.

“These elections often include promises of the ability to influence subjects that union contracts don’t reach or cover,” she said. “Leaders and physicians working closely together can best address the nuanced and complex needs of providing the best care to patients.”

Oregon Health & Science University is another union hotbed. About 3,500 nurses are trying to negotiate a new contract.

Their current contract expired last week.

In addition, about 240 members of OHSU’s postdoctoral research staff and 300 graduate researchers recently unionized. Both will join AFSCME, the public employee union that already represents 9,000 workers at OHSU.

Another 2,000 OHSU researchers are also attempting to get organized and conduct their own union election.

OHSU officials say they’ve adopted a “people-first” attitude in hopes of maintaining labor peace. It raised the minimum wage for its employees to $18 an hour.

“OHSU has a long history of respectful and productive relationships with its unionized members,” OHSU spokeswoman Sara Hottman said in a written statement. “ We appreciate the dedication of bargaining teams and union leaders who support our valued employees.”