A tentative agreement between management at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital and nurses working at the Newport medical facility was reached during a bargaining session held last Friday, Aug. 2.
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents 104 registered nurses working at SPCH, whose contract expired on June 30. Samaritan had been in negotiations since March with nurses at both SPCH and Samaritan Albany General Hospital. Samaritan reached a tentative agreement with the Albany nurses on Monday, July 29.
Newport nurses had planned to hold an informational picket alongside Highway 101 next to the Center for Health Education at 5 p.m. Friday if the two parties couldn’t come to agreeable terms for a new contract. But instead of a rally to raise public awareness regarding the contract issues being disputed, the event became a celebration of a successful negotiation.
A statement issued by ONA on Friday said, “ONA nurses at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital are pleased to announce they reached a tentative contract agreement with Samaritan management late this afternoon. The tentative contract agreement includes numerous improvements to raise local health care standards, including equal pay for equal work for nurses at Samaritan Pacific, Samaritan Albany General Hospital and Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis. Providing equal pay for equal work, along with other improvements, will give Samaritan more tools to address staffing issues on the coast; recruit and retain nurses; and ensure people across Lincoln County continue to have access to high-quality, safe, and affordable health care.”