Help Us Make OHSU a Better Place for Us All
For those of you who closely followed our contract negotiations earlier in the year, you are likely aware that our new contract has created several new joint committees with OHSU, as well as mechanisms for employees to bring issues to OHSU leadership. These committees are in addition to our already existing joint committees and stand-alone union committees.In an effort to continually expand opportunities to our members, we'd like you consider applying to serve. As a volunteer organization, we thrive when rank-and-file employees step forward to make us a better organization. For joint committees, members will be released from their OHSU work to attend meetings on paid time. The contract language referenced below can be found in the PDF of our new contract. Most union committees meet outside of regular work hours.Current joint-committee opportunities include:
Community Employment Committee: This committee, described in MOU #4, is intended to enhance the employment and career development opportunities for underrepresented groups at OHSU.
Hardship Fund Committee: This committee will administer the hardship fund set out in Memorandum of Understanding #10 in our new contract. (OHSU will provide Local 328 with $100,000 each year of the contract, to provide relief to AFSCME-represented employees facing financial hardship.)
Market Based Wage Committee: This committee conducts an annual determination of market based wage adjustments for designated job classifications. (A subset of our current 300 job classifications are reviewed each year.)
OSHA Safety Committee: This committee, described in Article 27.2, makes safety policy recommendations, works to ensure OSHA compliance and addresses safety concerns referred to the committee by work units.
Policy Advisory Committee: This committee reviews OHSU-wide policies and makes approval recommendations to the president. (Search for “policy 01-01-001” on O2 for additional information.)
Preferential Hire List Task Force: This new task force, set out in MOU #17, will help ensure that our PHL process operates the way it was intended and make recommendations to improve the process. (The PHL, described in Article 5.2, provides options to employees who have been laid off or have other placement needs.)
Staffing Escalation Group: This group, consisting of union representatives and OHSU senior leaders, will meet to discuss systemic staffing issues in problem departments. (See MOU #11.)
Strategic Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee: This committee, described in Article 26.2, advises on how to improve OHSU’s transportation programs and discusses concerns re: parking and other transportation matters.
Telecommuting Task Force: This task force, described in MOU #3, will make recommendations on how to improve telecommuting options for employees.
Retirement Plan Advisory Committee: This committee reviews and makes recommendations re: the University Pension Plan and OHSU’s voluntary retirement savings programs.
Workforce Mental Health Support/Peer-to-Peer Group Counseling Task Force: This new committee, described in MOU #18, will help develop the position description for a to-be-hired internal counselor and help create a training program for interested members to learn how to provide group debriefings.
We can also always use volunteers for the following union committees and programs:
Internal Communications Committee: The ICC oversees all union communications, including e-newsletters, flyers, posters and stickers, as well as our website, blog and social-media pages.
Political Action Committee: The PAC participates in the political process, including candidate interviews, phone-banking and canvassing, lobbying, and more.
Northwest Oregon Labor Council: This body brings together representatives from AFL-CIO unions throughout northwest Oregon, to improve the lives of working people and give labor a voice in the political process.
Southwest Washington Central Labor Council: This body is similar to NWOLC, but for southwest Washington.
Steward Program: Investigatory stewards provide support and representation to AFSCME-represented members in the event of job and workplace issues.
Unit Steward Program: Unit stewards help their coworkers navigate our contract and keep them informed of union news and activities.
Committee applicants must be dues-paying members of AFSCME Local 328. Ideal committee applicants (a) have a strong interest in the committee’s subject matter, (b) are able to articulate their thoughts both verbally and in writing and (c) can commit to attend meetings on a regular basis.Space on the above committees is limited, so our union has developed an application process to help select the best candidates. If you are interested in being appointed, please download and complete the application form and email it to Local 328 president Matt Hilton by Wednesday, January 1, 2020. If the member’s requested committee is full, another suitable group may be suggested to the applicant. Completing an application doesn’t guarantee appointment to a committee.We greatly appreciate the support and energy that our members put into the campaign for our 2019 – 2022 contract. We are excited about these opportunities to continue that work and make OHSU a better place for all us. Please consider joining us!