It took nearly a year, but PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center has finally reached an agreement with its nurses and the Oregon Nurses’ Association.   The center voted 93 percent to approve the proposed three year contract with the hospital.   The finalization of the new contract comes after many months of mediation between PeaceHealth and the 75 local nurses that acted as representatives of the Oregon Nurses’ Association.  

The previous contract expired at the end of last year and nurses have been working without a contract since January.  

According to union member and surgical services nurse Sandy Fleetwood, RN, “Nurses and community members worked together to make sure we reached a fair agreement with the hospital that allows us to recruit and retain the health care providers we need to care for our friends, family and neighbors.   Thanks to our community’s support, we won a fair deal that will help us attract topflight nurses and improve the quality of care we provide for our patients.”

Several failed mediation sessions led to an informational picket in May.   The goal was to share the issues in question with the community: wages, staff safety, staff call requirements, and recruitment and retention.   The community actively supported the nurses throughout the negotiations. 

The latest round of mediation led to a new three contract that increases security measures to protect off-site nurses, rules to limit excessive call shifts and overtime, and a cost-of-living wage adjustment in an effort to attract and retain qualified nurses.   The COA raise was given in an effort to keep pace with inflation, too.