Nurses at Providence Hood River brave the rain and cold temperatures on the picket line. They were among nearly 5,000 nurses, physicians, midwives and nurse practitioners at Providence who started an open-ended strike on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Oregon Nurses Association)
The union representing physicians and nurses at Providence women’s clinic in the Portland area have reached a tentative agreement as thousands of nurses in the nonprofit’s eight hospitals continue a strike that started on Jan. 10.
The Oregon Nurses Association and Providence Medical Group announced the tentative agreement late Sunday for the women’s clinic, which has six locations in the Portland area. The proposal covers 81 health care professionals total: 59 physicians and 22 nurses.
It’s also the first contract for the health care workers at the women’s clinic. The union’s members will vote on it Monday and Tuesday.
The contract has protections for seniority, union representation and a grievance process for nurses and physicians.
In a statement, Providence said: “This agreement marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing exceptional health care services.”
The contract for nurses has a 25-step wage scale based on years of experience, which will give most registered nurses a pay raise of 4% to 20%. There also are provisions for extra pay on evening shifts and more opportunities for professional development
For physicians, there are wage increases of 7.5% to 15% and more professional development opportunities.
“Our members have made significant sacrifices to stand up for fair wages, safe staffing and the ability to provide quality care to their patients,” said Dr. Charlie Saltalamacchia, a physician at the clinic. “This agreement at Providence Women’s Clinic proves that solutions are within reach when Providence negotiates in good faith and prioritizes investment in their most valuable asset; their caregivers.”
Saltalamacchia said Providence needs to make that same commitment to fair bargaining for all the negotiations that continue.
The strike is the largest one for health care workers in Oregon history, with Oregon Nurses Association members and some physicians and other health care providers striking at Portland St. Vincent Medical Center, Providence Portland Medical Center and hospitals in Hood River, Medford, Milwaukie, Newberg, Seaside and Oregon City.
All of them have separate bargaining units and contracts, and the women’s clinic’s tentative agreement is the first step towards resolving them.
“It’s a victory for us and it’s a small step in the larger effort at Providence,” said Scott Palmer, chief of staff for the Oregon Nurses Association. “This tentative agreement shows what’s possible when Providence approaches negotiations with seriousness and comes to the table to meet the moment.”
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