By MALLORY GRUBEN
After eight months of bargaining, three meetings with a federal mediator, and an overwhelming strike vote, union nurses at Columbia Memorial Health in Astoria reached a tentative agreement for a new contract.
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents more than 130 registered nurses at Columbia Memorial, the state’s fastest-growing rural hospital. ONA started bargaining for a new contract in April, and their previous agreement expired in May.
On Oct. 4, ONA announced that a majority of the nurses approved a strike because recent contract negotiations had been “fruitless.” Later that day, hospital leaders offered a new proposal that reflected the union’s ongoing requests for competitive wages, incentive pay, retention bonuses, and stable retirement plans. A vote by nurses on whether to ratify the contract will take place Oct. 19-24. If ratified, the new contract will:
Provide a $6.25 raise in 2023, 4% in 2024, and 3.5% in 2025.
Add two paid holidays.
Provide a $4,000 retention bonus for full-time nurses, a $3,000 for part-time nurses, and a $1,500 bonus for relief and intermittent nurses.
Increase the hospital’s retirement match to 3% in the first year and 5% after two years.
