After weeks marked by striking and negotiation, the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) has reached a new tentative agreement with Providence Health & Services. As reported by KVAL, the deal, if ratified, promises to quickly bring back nearly 5,000 nurses to their posts by the coming Wednesday. The ONA asserts their newfound agreement championing fair wages, safer staffing levels, stronger health benefits, and due respect for the nurse's workload in staffing decisions. Echoing optimism, Providence's Jennifer Burrows conveyed through KVAL that they are "hopeful that ONA-represented nurses will ratify the tentative agreements that pave a solid path forward for us all."
The move to end the 43-day strike represents a substantial shift in dynamics within Oregon's healthcare system. According to an article from IJPR, nurses are to receive a raise of up to 22% immediately upon the deal's ratification but also acknowledges nurses' definitive demand for retroactive pay—a desire strong enough to have them initially reject the previous offer from Providence. Virginia Smith, part of the bargaining team, believes that even agreeing to a number less than 100% for retroactive pay was a necessary sacrifice, stating, "When you have 3,500 nurses who have their calculator out, you need to make sure what they’re getting is close to what’s on their calculator."
While progressive on many fronts, the agreement doesn't entirely align the expiration dates of contracts across all Providence hospitals, a sought-after change that would bolster the union’s leverage. Nevertheless, the bargain draws closer to this objective, synchronizing contract dates for several facilities. This incremental step negotiates a position of increased solidarity for the nurses at smaller institutions, as expressed by Christie Sowards, chair of the Providence Milwaukie bargaining team, who told IJPR, "To actually budge a little bit, I think that’s huge." Prospective expiration dates now vary amongst the different Providence facilities if the contract is approved.
