
Five days after the Oregon Nurses Association launched the largest health care strike in state history, both the union and Providence Health say they are ready to resume bargaining through a federal mediator.
That does not mean the strike’s end is near. But it does represent a change.
Previously, when the union on Dec. 30 issued a legally required 10-day notice of potential strike, Providence leadership cut off contract talks — saying it needed to focus on hiring temp workers and other preparations.
Since then, as both sides accused each other of bad faith and foot-dragging, Providence representatives said they were trying to reopen mediated talks with three small groups of workers. They then expanded those efforts to two additional groups of workers, then four more.
On Tuesday afternoon, Providence said it could now resume all the negotiations — spanning 11 different collective bargaining units at eight hospitals across Oregon as well as several clinics.
So what does that mean? Here’s a breakdown.
What happens next?
Now that Providence has asked federal mediators to reinitiate the contract talks, the question is when.
“The next step is to schedule dates, and actually, more than schedule, but to have meetings at the table for all the facilities and come to a fair contract agreement,” said Kevin Mealy, a spokesperson for the Oregon Nurses Association, in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s our understanding the mediators have been in conversation with union leaders, and we eagerly await their response,” said a statement issued by Providence Tuesday afternoon.
What has the strike been costing the Providence health system?
A lot. The nurses union estimates that in Oregon Providence is paying $25 million per week for the 2,000 replacement workers it has reportedly signed to two-week deals.
The number is plausible. As first reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting, one temp firm providing replacement workers for Providence is offering $100 an hour for nurses who could expect to work 60-hour weeks. Temp agencies charge overhead and profit on top of those wages. 2,000 workers hired for two weeks.
On the other hand, Providence has not been paying the striking workers other than funding health care and other benefits.
In Oregon, the system lost $100 million over the previous 12-month reporting period, financial filings show.
What has the strike been costing the workers on strike?
The nurses on strike were making $100,000 a year or more, while the dozens of St. Vincent physicians who joined them were making twice that or more. So each one is losing on the order of $2,000-$4,000 a week.
In the 2023 Portland teachers strike, teachers who spent a certain amount of time each day walking the picket lines received $120 for that day.
With the nurses’ strike, it works differently. To apply for a week’s worth of hardship funds, workers must spend 12 hours walking the picket lines or providing free child care to those who are walking. The funds granted are based on evidence that the worker really needs it, rather than a flat rate.
“It certainly isn't equal to wage replacement, nor is it meant to be,” said Mealy, the union spokesperson. “It's meant to be used for people who need it.”
In addition to funds, the union also helps workers avoid costs by asking to pause mortgage payments and other such services.
Unlike with some professions that go on strike, there’s no shortage of demand for nurses in Oregon, so those on strike from Providence can still work elsewhere, said Jensen, Mealy’s coworker.
“Some folks are per diem at other hospitals, like Kaiser or OHSU,” she said, adding that lots of home care and respite care agencies are looking for help.
How long could an agreement take?
That is the multi-million dollar question. Providence representatives have traded complaints of bogus tactics with its represented employees And the system’s public relations unit previously claimed the union had been foot-dragging on some contracts in order to align the agreements across the state, to allow larger strikes in the future.
On Tuesday, the health system issued a statement that was more conciliatory. “The Providence bargaining teams are working to develop three-year contracts with each of the union teams. So we must work together on addressing the union’s demands, while also ensuring the financial sustainability of these hospitals and services for the next three years.” Thanks to low reimbursements by insurers and government programs that generate revenue for hospitals, the Providence statement added, “there is not a simple solution.”
Representatives of the nurses union and its affiliated group, the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, however, say they’ve been trying to reach a deal all along. “We never left the bargaining table,” said Myrna Jensen, a spokesperson for the union.
But they contend it’s Providence that has not been serious about compromise. And the union appears to be preparing for the strike to continue. The union’s parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers, is working with the nurses to set up additional help as the strike goes on, “so that we can offer additional grants and loans to members,” Jensen added.
There's been speculation that Providence could wait for workers' health care to run out, to get a better deal. Technically, that happens Feb. 1, although the union says its lawyers are prepared challenge any such move, contending another 30-days of coverage may be on tap.
Mealy’s coworker said the strike will last “until we reach a fair contract agreement that improves safety and restores safe staffing levels that helps us recruit and retain nurses and providers.”