Victoria Post & Zachary Miller
On February 24, nurses and healthcare workers for Providence Healthcare in Oregon approved a deal to end their 46 day strike. The deal concludes what is reported by monopoly media to be the largest healthcare workers strike in Oregon state history.
The deal, announced on February 21, includes retroactive pay for nurses whose contracts had expired before December of 2024. It promises back-pay for 75% of hours worked and paid time off since their contracts expired, but not full compensation. The agreement also includes a wage increase over time, ranging from 20% to 42% over the period of the three-year contract, and an immediate bump of 16% to 22%.
Another component of the agreement is better implementation of the Oregon’s Nurse Staffing Law, which mandates minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. The new agreement ensures that what is known as patient acuity, a ranking of the seriousness of a patient’s medical needs, is factored into staffing, according to the union. High patient ratios driving up work tempo have been points of struggle for healthcare workers across multiple recent strikes, both for the burden on the nurses and other workers as well as the dangers for the patients, according to nurses’ unions. Increasing work tempo is a general trend, part of the capitalists pushing the costs of the economic crisis onto the workers’ backs.
Other components new contracts as noted by ONA are the creation of a new Statewide Health Benefits Workgroup and guaranteed break and meal pay. The Workgroup will help nurses and their families ensure they receive comprehensive healthcare coverage. The guaranteed break and meal pay now holds hospitals accountable to ensure nurses are receiving their required breaks. For every missed break or meal nurses will now receive penalty pay. The rate for the penalty pay is equal to approximately one hour of wages.
Workers were disappointed alignment of contract expiration dates for bargaining units across the whole system was not won in the agreement, according to union officials cited by Oregon Public Broadcasting. This alignment would have allowed workers across all sites in the Providence system to strike together as a united, cohesive bargaining unit upon the next contract expiration.
Workers rejected a previous proposed contract agreement in mid-February. Faced with mounting pressure from local politicians, Providence had also threatened to terminate health benefits and insurance for the striking workers if they did not return to work by the end of February.
Nurses were set to return to work as of night shift beginning February 26.
image: Image: Striking Providence nurses, Oregon Nurses Association web media
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
