Providence says it wants to restart talks with some of its unionized nurses, four days after thousands walked off the job as part of an indefinite strike.
A spokesman said Providence notified federal mediators Monday that it is “now in a position to discuss resuming mediated negotiations” with union representatives at Providence hospitals in Hood River, Medford, Milwaukie, Newberg, Seaside and Willamette Falls.
People on the picket line outside Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital on the first day of a statewide strike, Jan. 10, 2025. Nurses at all eight Providence locations went on strike Friday, citing concerns about pay, health insurance and staffing shortages.
Anna Lueck for OPB / OPB
The health system said it is still not ready to resume contract negotiations with nurses from its two largest hospitals: Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and Providence Portland.
“These tertiary hospitals treat the patients with the most acute conditions and complex needs. For those reasons, those two sites still require extra focus from their leadership teams,” a Providence spokesman wrote.
Providence had refused to discuss its nurses’ contracts since the union announced on Dec. 30 that it was considering an indefinite strike. Providence says its practice of withdrawing from negotiations once it receives a strike notice is due to the time it takes to hire and train replacement workers to keep its health care facilities running safely during a walkout. The nurses’ union has accused Providence of employing the policy to intimidate workers out of striking.
In a press release, the Oregon Nurses’ Association said it had not received any new proposals or invitation to bargain from Providence or the mediators.
“Our focus is on resolving the strike and that means securing real improvements across the entire system – not just the hospitals that Providence wants to discuss, but all our units,” a union spokesperson wrote.
About 4,000 nurses went on strike. Providence said more than 600 unionized nurses — about 13% — chose to work instead during the walkout, a much higher percentage than in prior strikes.
In the days leading up to the strike, Providence informed its nurses they would not be allowed to return to work for the duration of the strike unless they checked in on the first day.
Two small groups of unionized physicians and advanced practice providers are also participating in the strike, as they negotiate their first contract. Providence filed an unfair labor practices action Monday against the striking doctors, saying the union engaged in “bad faith bargaining” by refusing to meet “at reasonable times and reasonable intervals.”