Providence nurses approve contracts at eight hospitals, ending strike

Published 6:12 pm Monday, February 24, 2025

On the brink of losing their health care coverage, nurses at Providence Health’s eight hospitals in Oregon approved contract terms negotiated by their union — meaning the state’s largest-ever health care strike is coming to an end.

Earlier in February, the nurses resoundingly rejected earlier terms negotiated by the Oregon Nurses Association following talks instigated by Gov. Tina Kotek. But on Friday, the nurses and Providence announced a new tentative deal, sparking vigorous debate among nurses — including some who said the revised terms still weren’t good enough. Votes were cast through 4pm Monday.

After the votes were counted, nurses in all eight workplaces, representing more than 4,000 nurses in all, had approved the new terms. That means the nurses can return to work Wednesday, Feb. 26, on the night shift.

News of the outcome spread rapidly among nurses, with some expressing mixed feelings. Later in the evening the union issued a statement calling the contract “historic.”

The announcement included a statement from Virginia Smith an RN at Providence Willamette Falls and a leader of the union’s 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.”

Providence issued its own version, saying it was pleased and expressing gratitude to the union: “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. ”

Roughly 5,000 nurses and allied health care workers launched the open-ended strike on Jan. 10 over pay and working conditions. As the strike continued with no end in sight, Gov. Tina Kotek and other elected officials urged both sides to come to a resolution. Federal mediators facilitated negotiations between each side.

Striking nurses have been working without pay and Providence has warned that they will lose their health insurance if they do not return to work by Feb. 28.

The strike included hospital doctors at Providence St. Vincent, who reached an agreement earlier this month. Employees of the Portland Women’s Clinic also reached agreement.

The tentative agreements include wage increases ranging from 20% to 42% with immediate raises of up to 22% upon their approval and back pay, according to the union. Additionally, patient acuity will be considered as part of staffing plans, nurses will have guaranteed breaks and Providence will create a workgroup to evaluate health benefits.

Union negotiators had strongly recommended that nurses approve their respective tentative agreements. However, Providence Medford’s bargaining team wss neutral on their tentative agreement.

Jake Thomas is the legislative reporter for The Lund Report, an independent, nonprofit online news site dedicated to in-depth coverage of Oregon’s health care industry. You can reach him at jake@thelundreport.org or on X @jakethomas2009. This article is published with permission of The Lund Report. Read more stories at thelundreport.org.