Oregon nurses vote to ratify contract with Providence, ending historic strike
By Luisa Anderson, Alex Jensen, KGW
PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW) — Unionized nurses at eight Providence hospitals around Oregon have voted to ratify their contract, ending their historic strike on Monday.
The two sides reached a tentative agreement on Friday. The deadline to vote on the contract was 4 p.m. on Monday. Nearly 5,000 Providence nurses voted overwhelmingly to ratify their contract, ending the strike, the Oregon Nurses Association said.
The nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) had been on strike for more than a month, since Jan. 10. The nurses had asked for competitive wages, improved working conditions and better staffing levels at hospitals.
"These contracts represent a major victory for front-line caregivers, but more importantly it's a victory for Providence patients and the communities we serve," said Virginia Smith, an RN from Providence Willamette Falls and leader of the ONA bargaining unit. "As RNs, we believe that these contracts will lead to greater recruitment and retention of frontline nurses as wages become more aligned with other health systems, and we have staffing language that will allow us to spend more time with the patients that need the most care."
With the new contract now ratified, nurses will go back to work starting Wednesday, with nurses who work the night shift and the remainder on Thursday.
Under the contract, nurses will receive pay raises ranging between 20-42% over the duration of the contract, and will immediately receive 16-22% raises, according to ONA. They also will receive retroactive pay and a ratification bonus, along with stronger health benefits and a guaranteed break and meal pay.
Last week, ONA and Providence returned to the bargaining table after nurses from all eight hospitals rejected Providence's offer at the time.
"We recognize the challenges faced over the past six weeks and are proud of these agreements that address issues the union bargaining teams identified as priorities during negotiations," Providence said. "We are grateful to the bargaining teams from Providence ministries and the union for their collaborative work on finding common ground. We look forward to working in cooperation to find sustainable solutions to Oregon’s future health care needs."
