Providence Medford Medical Center nurses are joining union officials representing six Providence health care facilities as part of a four-day intensive bargaining session this week.

Union representatives for nurses at Providence hospitals in Medford, Hood River, Milwaukie, Newberg, Oregon City and Portland will engage with Providence leadership in what the Oregon Nurses Association describes as “rare six-table mediation sessions with management” that started Tuesday and run through Friday, according to an ONA release issued last week.

Information about the six-hospital bargaining session came ahead of a rally held last Thursday at Providence Park in Portland near the KeyBank Community Plaza.

Providence Medford nurses’ contract expired in March, joining Providence St. Vincent north of Beaverton, Providence Newberg, Providence Hood River and Providence Willamette Falls as hospitals with expired contracts. Providence Milwaukie’s contract expired at the end of May.

Medford nurses said at a May 1 informational picket outside the hospital they were rallying for better pay and working conditions to help retain and recruit top talent.

ONA states in its release it has filed Unfair Labor Practice complaints against Providence on grounds of refusing to bargain, bargaining in bad faith, “unilateral implementation of mandatory subjects,” denying access to employee representatives and retaliation against union leaders.

Providence, in a prepared statement last week, claims ONA “is painting an incomplete picture of bargaining at our six hospitals.” It states that ONA teams at some hospitals have spent weeks, sometimes months, away from bargaining sessions.

“It’s only been recently — after repeated requests from Providence hospitals — that ONA has agreed to mediation,” the statement reads in part.

Further, Providence states that “ONA’s recent communications suggest that going on strike is a foregone conclusion.”

“While Providence is prepared to continue serving our communities during a nurse walkout, it’s important to know that our bargaining teams are approaching the upcoming mediation session, June 4-7, with the goal of getting full tentative agreements for contract ratifications,” Providence states. “Federal mediators have helped us achieve this in the past — and we believe we can be successful again.”

Nurses are not the only Providence health care workers whose contracts are being negotiated, according to ONA. The union stated earlier this week that it is helping in contract negotiations for other caregivers within Providence Medford’s emergency department — including physicians, physician associates and nurse practitioners.

According to ONA communications specialist Myrna Jensen, Providence Medford emergency department providers are represented by the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, which shares the same parent union as PNWHMA, AFT Healthcare. The parent union is part of the American Federation of Teachers.