ONA Reaches Tentative Agreement with Providence Following 26-Day Strike

Portland, Oregon- After seven days of intensive mediation requested by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) and Providence Oregon have reached a tentative agreement covering eight registered nurse (RN) bargaining units currently on strike. The strike, which has lasted 26 days, involved nurses from Providence St. Vincent, Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Medford Medical Center, Providence Newberg, Providence Willamette Falls, Providence Milwaukie, Providence Hood River, and Providence Seaside.

Hospitalists at St. Vincent Medical Center remain on strike as negotiations continue.

Key elements of the tentative agreement include wage increases, changes to step increases, and new provisions for penalties related to missed breaks and meal periods. Specific highlights are:

• Annual Step Increases & New Step 30: Nurses will receive annual step increases by 2026, with a new Step 30 and additional fill-in steps added across all bargaining units.

• Wage Increases: Across-the-board wage increases will be implemented over the life of the contract, with immediate increases upon ratification.

• Ratification Bonus: A portion of retroactive pay will be distributed as a bonus based on hours worked since the expiration of previous contracts.

• Contract Expiration Dates: Existing contract expiration dates will remain unchanged, as efforts to align them were not achieved.

• Break & Meal Penalty Pay: Nurses will automatically receive one hour of penalty pay for each missed break or meal period.

• Health Benefits Workgroup: A statewide workgroup will be established to evaluate health benefits and explore the feasibility of a statewide health benefits trust.

• Aetna Customer Service Support: A dedicated Aetna customer service team will be available to assist nurses with employer-provided health insurance issues.

• Staffing Improvements: Contract provisions will formalize compliance with Oregon’s new staffing law and include hospital-specific benefits.

Ratification votes will commence on Thursday, February 6, at 8 a.m. and conclude on Friday, February 7, at 4 p.m. Due to inclement weather, voting at Providence Medford will remain open until Saturday, February 8, at 4 p.m.

Nurses will remain on strike throughout the voting period and will return to work if the agreements are ratified.

The Oregon Nurses Association has stated that it will not provide further comment until the conclusion of the vote.

Providence provided the following statement:

With encouragement from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Providence and Oregon Nurses Association bargaining teams have been in mediation for the past week. We’re pleased to announce that complete tentative agreements have been reached with nurses at all eight of our Providence Oregon hospitals. Negotiations continue with hospitalists at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.

Providence is grateful for the tireless work done by everyone involved in this process, as well as those who have been working in our hospitals caring for our communities during the ONA strike.