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Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has stepped in amid an open-ended strike that began Jan. 10 at Providence hospitals and clinics across the state.
In a joint statement shared with Becker's, the Oregon Nurses Association and Providence Oregon said they agreed — at Ms. Kotek's request — to re-engage in intensive, in-person mediation beginning Jan. 29 to end this strike.
"Both sides are engaging in every effort to get this dispute resolved as expeditiously as possible and get people back to work," the statement said.
The walkout is estimated to be the largest healthcare strike in Oregon's history, with nearly 5,000 workers participating, according to the Oregon Nurses Association. The striking workers include nurses, physicians, and advanced practice providers across 11 Providence bargaining units.
Management received notification of the strike in December, and Providence and the union have blamed each other for the failed negotiations.
ONA has accused Providence of failing to bring meaningful offers to the bargaining table, "offering contracts that do not meet the needs of front-line caregivers and patients throughout Oregon."
In a statement shared with Becker's Jan. 17, Providence said that "with a new round of bargaining taking place, we are starting from a different position, but our proposals have retained many substantial improvements including the more than 20%, on average, wage increases and other enhancements contained in our pre-strike proposals."
Providence is a 51-hospital health system based in Renton, Wash.