New Round of Negotiations for Better Employment Conditions for Providence Medford Nurses Starts Today

MEDFORD, Ore. — After previously deadlocking on pay increases and other benefits for nurses employed by the Providence Medford Medical Center, another round of contract negotiations starts today (Tuesday).

The decision to return to the negotiation table comes after yesterday’s rally outside the Providence Medford hospital on Crater Lake Avenue, marking the six-month anniversary of the historic nurse’s five-day strike last spring.

Nurses Have Worked Without a Contract for the Last 10 Months

The nurses have been working without a contract for 10 months while their union, the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), fights for competitive wages, safe staffing, and other benefits for its Medford members.

Vicki Knudsen, chairperson of the Medford bargaining team for ONA says the Providence Medical Center has failed to comply with nurses’ demands, resulting in a high staff turnover. Knudsen said she hoped that this would be the final round of negotiations.

Nursing staff employed at four of the six Providence medical centers throughout Oregon are working without contracts.

Nurses Hope that Providence Brings Something Meaningful to the Table

At yesterday’s rally, Providence Medford nurse leader Breanna Zabel expressed the hope that the hospital group would bring ‘something meaningful’ to the negotiation table.

Zabel said by introducing higher wages, Providence Medford could compete with other hospitals when recruiting nursing staff. She asked how the hospital could expect to recruit and retain staff when its starting wage was ‘significantly’ lower than another hospital in the city.

Providence Hopes Nurses Will Accept Its Earlier Offer of $20,000 Average Pay Rise

Providence Medford says in a statement released before the latest round of negotiations that it hoped union negotiators would allow nurses to accept its previous offer of an average $20,000 annual pay rise.

The offer, previously rejected by the union, offered the average $20,000 annual wage hike excluding overtime, shift work increases, and holiday pay.

Providence Medford says it is ‘eager to get pay increases into our nurses’ pockets.’

The statement also points out that it offered ONA 12 bargaining dates in September and October and was disappointed when the union accepted only two of the dates, later going on to cancel a scheduled November 4 session.