UPDATED: Wed. Feb. 5, 12:30 p.m. ...
The Oregon Nurses Association announced late Tuesday evening it had reached a tentative deal with Providence to end one of the .
The deal came after 26 days on picket lines at various Providence facilities stretching from Medford to Portland, and Seaside to Hood River.
Both sides urged by Gov. Tina Kotek since last week. Tuesday’s deal applies to nearly all the bargaining units that had joined the strike. One group of unionized doctors working at St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland still have not reached an agreement on their contract.
According to the nurses association, the deal reached includes pay increases, a pay bonus to make up for some of the lost work during the strike, a one-hour pay penalty for nurses if they work through a break or lunch period, and the establishment of a workgroup to look at health insurance provided to the nurses at Providence’s hospitals. The tentative deal would also enshrine language from a state law into worker contracts.
The union said it had compromised on two of its longstanding priorities.
If the deal is approved, nurses will not receive their pay raises retroactively, a sticking point for some who felt that Providence had used delay tactics earlier in contract negotiations as a way to save money.
Instead, nurses will receive a ratification bonus based on the hours they have worked since their contract expired.
The union had also tried to change the expiration dates of the contracts it was bargaining. The aim was to have future contracts open at multiple hospitals at once, a move that would increase the union’s bargaining power. Instead, the proposed deal leaves the current contract expiration dates unchanged across Providence’s hospitals.
Tuesday’s proposed resolution follows between Providence and a smaller group of striking doctors, midwives, and nurses at the Catholic nonprofit’s women’s clinic. The providers at the women’s clinic have ratified their agreement, and will return to work starting Thursday.
The Oregon Nurses Association said in a statement that its members would remain on strike as the tentative deal is being voted on by members on Thursday and Friday. If that deal gets a thumbs up from health care providers, staff will immediately return to work.
This story may be updated.
