The next round of contract negotiations are currently unscheduled for most of the six Providence hospitals involved in what was believed to be Oregon’s largest-ever nurses strike last week.

And bargaining sessions for Providence Medford Medical Center are at least two and a half weeks away.

Union leadership and hospital management reported over the weekend that a Providence Medford bargaining session scheduled for Monday was postponed because a federal mediator would not be available.

Providence said in an emailed statement Saturday that the hospital offered four dates starting July 10 to union representatives because “the presence of a federal mediator helps both sides get to agreements.”

Asked if ONA had accepted the July bargaining session dates, a Providence Medford spokeswoman replied Monday afternoon that there was “nothing new to report.”

ONA spokeswoman Myrna Jensen said in a phone interview Monday that nurses on the local bargaining teams are determining whether they can get off work to attend the mediation sessions. Much like teachers, nurses are directly responsible for ensuring their schedules are filled, Jensen said.

Especially for nurses in specialty fields, ensuring coverage can be a challenge, Jensen said.

“That’s where the give-and-take comes in,” she said. “Nurses have to find replacements if they’re going to go to bargaining.”

No other labor reps had informed Jensen of bargaining dates proposed or set for any of the five other Providence hospitals involved last week in the strike Tuesday through Thursday of last week, she said. Among the six facilities, more than 3,000 nurses picketed.

As of midday Monday, Jensen said the planned Unfair Labor Practice complaint had not yet been filed with the National Labor Relations Board against Providence over the health system’s refusal to allow striking nurses to return to work Friday or Saturday.

Providence had claimed that the union and nurses knew the hospital needed to hire replacement nurses in five-day intervals when they authorized a three-day strike. The ONA, however, has referred to the bulk of nurses being refused to return to work as an “unlawful lockout.”

Jensen said the complaint is still being prepared by the ONA’s legal team.

“It has to get processed,” Jensen said. “It’s in the works”

Jensen said nurses in Medford and across the strike “attempted to go back to work Friday morning,” but when they arrived they were greeted with a check-in table outside the hospital and informed whether they were on the schedule. Most were turned away.

“It was hard on the nurses Friday morning,” Jensen said. “They wanted to get back and see their patients.”

Jennifer Burrows, a registered nurse and chief executive of Providence Oregon, welcomed all nurses back in a Sunday statement on Providence’s regional blog.

“We are grateful for their return, and grateful for everyone who helped us continue to provide safe, excellent care during the past week for our patients and communities,” Burrows said.

“While our differences have been evident this week, we now focus on our shared values of taking exceptional care of our patients,” she added. We will build upon this common ground as we go forward in service to the Mission of Providence.”