PORTLAND — Providence and nurses at its eight Oregon hospitals have reached a tentative agreement after 26 days of strike, in what the state’s nurses union has described as the largest health care strike in state history.
Most of the 5,000 on strike were nurses, but dozens of doctors at a Portland hospital and at six women’s health clinics also participated. The strike came after more than a year of negotiations failed to produce an agreement over wages, benefits and staffing levels.
Key provisions of the tentative agreement with hospital nurses include wage increases and automatic penalty pay for missed breaks or lunch, the Oregon Nurses Association union said in a news release late Tuesday. It came after a week of in-person mediation requested by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.
Ratification votes will begin Thursday, the union said. Nurses will remain on strike during the vote and return to work if the agreement is ratified.
