ONA says strike authorization vote is pending; Providence calls latest offer ‘extremely competitive’
By Nick Morgan, Rogue Valley Times
After nearing what they call their “bottom line,” Providence Medford nurses say “nothing is off the table” after a Tuesday bargaining session failed to end in a new contract with hospital administration.
A strike authorization vote date is pending for Medford registered nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, according to an update posted Tuesday by the union after the bargaining session.
The update describes “significant movement everywhere” in its latest round of negotiations and said that a top issue for nurses is full retroactive pay or a bonus of $12,000, which the union describes as on par with the retroactive pay value. Nurses in Medford have been without a new contract since March, have negotiated since January and have participated in at least 18 bargaining sessions.
Under the hospital’s latest proposal, the bonuses would be tiered based on years of service, and most nurses would get a bonus that is a fraction of the $12,000 the nursing unit seeks.
Nurses working one year or less would get a $1,000 bonus; nurses working two to four years would get $2,000; nurses working five to six years would get $3,000, nurses working seven to 10 years would get $4,000; and nurses who’ve worked 11 years or longer would get $5,000.
Because the bonus covers years of service, not level of experience, roughly half of the nurses in the bargaining unit would get $2,000 or less, and roughly 30% of nurses would get the lowest tier $1,000 bonus.
Other items include one-time paid time off bumps in line with negotiations made with Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence St. Vincent, Providence Seaside and Providence Seaside, among others; enhanced short-term disability; and wages on par with Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, also in Medford.
The ONA claims that hospital leadership made “a little movement on their ‘final offer,'” budging primarily on language for enhanced short-term disability — which the ONA in its update complains “we should already be getting.”
“We came ready to negotiate into the night if needed to get a deal that meets your priorities, but the hospital ended the day early with no other movement,” the ONA stated. It further states that the mediator and hospital leadership told them the deal expires Dec. 19.
The ONA is planning Zoom emergency updates at 8 p.m. Thursday and 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss its next steps and further actions.
Kate Kitchell, chief nursing officer for Providence Medford Medical Center, said in a phone interview Thursday that she disagrees with claims from the ONA that Medford’s latest offer is less competitive than what Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center offers its nurses.
“We feel it’s extremely competitive,” Kitchell said
The three-year contract for nurses includes a 20% increase in the first year, which on average is a roughly $20,000 increase before factoring in any overtime, holiday pay or increases for working certain shifts.
The contract also compounds with 4% increases at year two and another 4% increase from the previous steps on year three.
“We do hope they choose the path of accepting our $20,000 raise,” Kitchell said. “I think that’s a good deal, but I’m not the one making the decision.”
Kitchell confirmed that the current deal on the table has a Dec. 19 deadline. The contingency was implemented in part as an incentive to reach a deal by the end of the calendar year, according to Kitchell, and to allow Providence to implement some of the enhancements in the deal such as the acceptance bonus because it is based on years at Providence.
“If they don’t accept it, we continue to bargain,” Kitchell said.
Kitchell said Providence is working with federal mediators to schedule additional bargaining sessions, but as of Thursday afternoon, she did not have dates scheduled.
The ONA in the Thursday press release said “nothing is off the table” regarding the union’s next steps. When asked if that statement prompts Providence leadership to prepare for another strike, Kitchell said that Providence’s goal is providing exceptional care and “we will continue that path no matter what ONA chooses.”
“Deals get done on the bargaining table and not the street corner,” Kitchell said. Providence nurses held a rally Monday outside the hospital to voice their demands.
Kitchell added that the offer on the table is “extremely competitive” and said she wants to see nurses “highly rewarded” for the work they do.
“We’re hoping that ONA sees that and gets those raises into the pockets of our nurses,” Kitchell said.
The registered nurses at Providence Medford are among eight Providence hospitals “near bottom line” of their table progress in contract negotiations, according to the ONA. Other providers at Providence facilities have pending contracts. Providence St. Vincent hospitalists — or inpatient physicians — are still working through “all proposals on the table” and voted to strike in late October. Providence Women’s Clinics doctors, midwives and RNs have a pending contract “almost down to workload and economics” and voted to strike Oct. 18, and Providence Immediate Care providers including RNs and support staff are negotiating “almost all proposals on the table.”
A strike date is pending for Immediate Care providers, RNs and support staff.
Reach reporter Nick Morgan at [email protected] or 458-488-2036. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.
