PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- For the first time since they joined the Oregon Nurses Association, the frontline nurses at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham voted to authorize a strike, but did not set a strike date.

The 400 registered nurses "voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike," ONA officials said in a Saturday release.

They said they've been bargaining for nearly two years over pay, recruiting and retaining staff, patient care and benefits, all to no avail.

“We don’t want to strike, but if management continues to slow-roll negotiations, we are united and ready to act," Lille Charron, a nurse at Legacy Mount Hood and ONA vice-chair of the bargaining team, said in a statement.

There are mediation sessions already scheduled for August 22 and August 28. ONA officials said if

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