St. Charles Bend nurses vote overwhelmingly to ratify new 3 1/2 year contract, will be highest-paid in state
Nurses at St. Charles Bend have voted overwhelmingly to ratify and approve a 3.5-year contract with St. Charles Health System, according to results from the Oregon Nurses Association shared Tuesday in a joint news release from the hospital and union.
They said the vote secures a contract for the nearly 1,000 nurses through June 2026 at the Bend hospital, where ONA-represented nurses had voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. A tentative contract agreement was reached less than a week before the possible walkout, through two days of marathon talks involving a federal mediator.
Here's the rest of their statement on the new contract:
“Today is a positive step forward, for St. Charles nurses and for the health system as a whole. We believe this contract will go far to secure the goal we share with our nurses – to recruit and retain more qualified RNs, which has been increasingly challenging during a nationwide nursing shortage,” said Iman Simmons, Chief Operations Officer for St. Charles Health System. “We are optimistic about the future of the health system and for our ability to move forward in partnership with the Bend ONA.”
“Nurses from St. Charles are so grateful to this community for their support,” said Erin Harrington, RN. “We love this community and are 100% committed to providing our neighbors and friends the world class health care they deserve. The nurses have voted and shown their strong support for this contract – a contract that moves us forward toward better recruitment and retention and improved working conditions.”
According to the ONA, the new contract makes nurses at St. Charles the highest paid in the state. Details of the contract include:
- July 2023: $5 per hour increase (this is in addition to a $5 per hour increase given in March of 2023)
- July 2024: 4% increase
- July 2025: 4% increase
- January 2026: 4% increase
The contract also includes adjustments to shift differentials.
