Nearly 5,000 nurses are continuing to strike at eight Providence Health & Services hospitals across Oregon after rejecting a tentative agreement in votes counted Feb. 7 and 8. More than 90% of strikers voted, and those voting rejected the Providence proposal by more than 80%.
Oregon Nurses Association said the agreement failed because it did too little to ensure safe staffing levels or make wages competitive to help recruit and retain staff. Members also felt the proposed health benefits were inadequate. The tentative agreement also did not include retroactive pay increases. That was seen as rewarding Providence for stalling; collective bargaining agreements normally include a raise at the beginning of the contract term. Providence also held fast against aligning contract expiration dates, which strikers understood as an attempt to limit union power: Because the contracts have no-strike pledges, staggered expiration dates mean nurses at the different hospitals canโt all strike together until all the contracts expire.