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News Release

Nurses And Management At OHSU Reach Tentative Agreement, Strike Averted - 09/26/23

Agreement reached after almost 100 hours of bargaining over ten days

*In-person media availability today from Noon - 1 p.m. at OHSU Waterfront Campus. Please contact Myrna Jensen at 907-350-6260 to schedule a time and be directed to an exact location.

(Portland, Ore.) - Nurses at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) successfully reached a tentative agreement with hospital management the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 25 capping off almost 60 hours of negotiation meetings over five days, including work with a mediator. Nearly 3200 nurses at OHSU are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA).

“Nurses at OHSU care for Oregon’s most critical patients—patients who require specialized nursing care that only we can provide. We deserve a contract that reflects the expertise, compassion and skill we bring to every patient in our care. This new contract will ensure we have the tools, the workplace safety and the staffing support necessary to deliver the high-quality care our patients deserve,” said Duncan Zevetski, RN, vice president of the ONA bargaining unit at OHSU. “I am proud of the nurses who organized, fought for and won this historic contract—a contract that our union colleagues across the country can look to as an example in their own fights for improved working conditions that will support them in caring for their patients.”

Members will vote to ratify the tentative agreement from Oct. 1-5 but detailed discussions of the proposed agreement will start Friday, Sept. 29. If approved, the agreement will include historic wage increases, which are key to retaining experienced nurses at OHSU, recruiting the next generation of nurses, and ensuring safe care for our community.

Key provisions of the tentative agreement include: 

  • Nurse staffing standards that align with the higher complexity patients OHSU nurses care for. 
  • Minimum safe staffing standards guaranteed by June 1, 2024, including a specific plan for the Emergency Department levels, and 1:3 Acute Care (mixed IMC) ratios written into the contract. A guarantee to follow professional standards that set ratios and levels for all other areas.
  • Wage increases of 15%, 6%, and 6% each year as well as a new 30-step wage scale. The average base wage will increase 37% and will average to $20.67/hr increase over 3 years.
  • Major expansion of the Code Green team that includes social workers trained in de-escalation for the Marquam Hill campus and newly provided to the Waterfront campus. 
  • Paid training for trauma-informed care, in-person de-escalation training/including advanced physical skills, crisis intervention and assault prevention.  
  • 24/7 coverage of metal detector screenings and DPS presence in the EDs.
  • Major improvements to workplace safety at OHSU, including 50% of positions for nurses and AFSCME members on a task force to allocate $10 million in funds.
  • A commitment to immediately institute urgent changes to lockdown procedures, securing entrances and other workplace violence reduction.
  • The right to bargain the impacts of a merger with Legacy Health system.
  • Full retro pay.

Nurses were also able to secure additional contract protections requiring break-relief assignments so that patient care isn’t compromised. Data from OHSU indicates that nurses missed at least 95,000 legally required rest in the last six months. Research has clearly shown that nurses who miss breaks are more likely to make mistakes, experience exhaustion and moral injury, and are ultimately more likely to leave the bedside—adding to a critical nursing shortage. 

“AURN won strong contract language for nurse staffing across our entire institution, including care areas ranging from ambulatory to inpatient. Most importantly, the contract centers on the expertise of the nurses providing care as essential to designing and driving staffing levels. We are proud to be raising the staffing standards for high-acuity hospitals across the country,” said Erica Swartz, RN and ONA staffing committee co-chair at OHSU.

“Going into negotiations, our team was faced with the realities of what our workforce has been enduring,” said Corinn Joseph, RN and ONA bargaining team member. “Across the nation, and the world, nursing has become not only a risk to our mental health but our physical safety. We set out with the intention to build a better contract, one that would change standards. We did this not only for our nurses, but to help raise the bar for hospitals everywhere. With the help of our dedicated members, we have done just that. We can stand proud of what we have set into motion for the decades of nursing that follow! Together we create our future. Together we care for the people. Together we care for ourselves. Together we stand strong.”  

Nurses began contract negotiations in December 2022 and their contract with OHSU expired on June 30, 2023. The new agreement will run through June 30, 2026. 

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union representing over 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org. 

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Nurses And Management At OHSU Reach Tentative Agreement, Strike Averted - 09/26/23

Agreement reached after almost 100 hours of bargaining over ten days

*In-person media availability today from Noon - 1 p.m. at OHSU Waterfront Campus. Please contact Myrna Jensen at 907-350-6260 to schedule a time and be directed to an exact location.

(Portland, Ore.) - Nurses at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) successfully reached a tentative agreement with hospital management the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 25 capping off almost 60 hours of negotiation meetings over five days, including work with a mediator. Nearly 3200 nurses at OHSU are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA).

“Nurses at OHSU care for Oregon’s most critical patients—patients who require specialized nursing care that only we can provide. We deserve a contract that reflects the expertise, compassion and skill we bring to every patient in our care. This new contract will ensure we have the tools, the workplace safety and the staffing support necessary to deliver the high-quality care our patients deserve,” said Duncan Zevetski, RN, vice president of the ONA bargaining unit at OHSU. “I am proud of the nurses who organized, fought for and won this historic contract—a contract that our union colleagues across the country can look to as an example in their own fights for improved working conditions that will support them in caring for their patients.”

Members will vote to ratify the tentative agreement from Oct. 1-5 but detailed discussions of the proposed agreement will start Friday, Sept. 29. If approved, the agreement will include historic wage increases, which are key to retaining experienced nurses at OHSU, recruiting the next generation of nurses, and ensuring safe care for our community.

Key provisions of the tentative agreement include: 

  • Nurse staffing standards that align with the higher complexity patients OHSU nurses care for. 
  • Minimum safe staffing standards guaranteed by June 1, 2024, including a specific plan for the Emergency Department levels, and 1:3 Acute Care (mixed IMC) ratios written into the contract. A guarantee to follow professional standards that set ratios and levels for all other areas.
  • Wage increases of 15%, 6%, and 6% each year as well as a new 30-step wage scale. The average base wage will increase 37% and will average to $20.67/hr increase over 3 years.
  • Major expansion of the Code Green team that includes social workers trained in de-escalation for the Marquam Hill campus and newly provided to the Waterfront campus. 
  • Paid training for trauma-informed care, in-person de-escalation training/including advanced physical skills, crisis intervention and assault prevention.  
  • 24/7 coverage of metal detector screenings and DPS presence in the EDs.
  • Major improvements to workplace safety at OHSU, including 50% of positions for nurses and AFSCME members on a task force to allocate $10 million in funds.
  • A commitment to immediately institute urgent changes to lockdown procedures, securing entrances and other workplace violence reduction.
  • The right to bargain the impacts of a merger with Legacy Health system.
  • Full retro pay.

Nurses were also able to secure additional contract protections requiring break-relief assignments so that patient care isn’t compromised. Data from OHSU indicates that nurses missed at least 95,000 legally required rest in the last six months. Research has clearly shown that nurses who miss breaks are more likely to make mistakes, experience exhaustion and moral injury, and are ultimately more likely to leave the bedside—adding to a critical nursing shortage. 

“AURN won strong contract language for nurse staffing across our entire institution, including care areas ranging from ambulatory to inpatient. Most importantly, the contract centers on the expertise of the nurses providing care as essential to designing and driving staffing levels. We are proud to be raising the staffing standards for high-acuity hospitals across the country,” said Erica Swartz, RN and ONA staffing committee co-chair at OHSU.

“Going into negotiations, our team was faced with the realities of what our workforce has been enduring,” said Corinn Joseph, RN and ONA bargaining team member. “Across the nation, and the world, nursing has become not only a risk to our mental health but our physical safety. We set out with the intention to build a better contract, one that would change standards. We did this not only for our nurses, but to help raise the bar for hospitals everywhere. With the help of our dedicated members, we have done just that. We can stand proud of what we have set into motion for the decades of nursing that follow! Together we create our future. Together we care for the people. Together we care for ourselves. Together we stand strong.”  

Nurses began contract negotiations in December 2022 and their contract with OHSU expired on June 30, 2023. The new agreement will run through June 30, 2026. 

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union representing over 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org. 

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