The three-year contract includes wage increases and retroactive pay

By Michelle Wiley, Oregon Public Broadcasting

After 46 days on strike, nurses at Providence hospitals across Oregon have approved a deal that will see them return to work.

The nurses, who are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, began their indefinite strike in early January. The strike, which is one of the largest health care worker labor actions in state history, included thousands of nurses at all eight Providence hospitals in the state, including Medford.

In a statement, Providence officials said they’re pleased that the deal passed.

“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,” the statement read.

The deal, which was announced Feb. 21, included some retroactive pay for nurses with contracts that expired before December 2024 — a key sticking point in the negotiations. It guarantees backpay for 75% of the hours worked and paid time off since the contract expired, according to the nurses’ union.

The agreement includes a wage increase over time, ranging from 20% to 42% over the duration of the three-year contract, and an immediate increase of 16% to 22%.

The deal also addresses the implementation of Oregon’s nurse staffing law, which mandates minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. Nurses previously argued that Providence used those minimums to justify lower staffing than is safe in some scenarios, such as when a nurse is caring for a sicker than usual patient.

The new agreement ensures the severity of a patient’s needs is factored into staffing plans, according to the union.

Nurses will be able to return to work Wednesday for the night shift, according to the union.

The agreement is the second attempt between the two sides to reach a deal. Earlier this month, a majority of union nurses voted to reject the first proposed agreement. That initial deal increased wages and included a bonus to make up for some of the work lost during the strike, but did not include retroactive pay.

The timing of the agreement ensures that nurses will not lose access to their health insurance. Providence officials said they would end coverage for striking nurses if a deal was not reached by the end of February.

This article first appeared on opb.org.