Mental and behavioral health providers at the Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Portland, Ore., have voted to unionize, The Lund Report reported Aug. 24.
The providers voted 46-2 on Aug. 23 to unionize with the Oregon Nurses Association — which currently represents roughly 700 nurses across the state at Legacy Health, which operates Unity Center — with voting employees including clinical social workers, crisis intervention specialists, dietitians and others.
The workers cited a lack of beds, services and staff at the 24-hour, 80-bed facility. The center first opened in 2017 through a partnership between Legacy, Adventist Health, Kaiser Permanente and Oregon Health & Science University, also in Portland.
"Legacy Health is committed to open, respectful and productive relationships with our employees, regardless of whether they are represented by a union or not," a Legacy Health representative said in a statement shared with The Lund Report.