Bargaining-Session Update: May 14 Economic Counterproposals

Today was our final day at the table before mediation starts next week. As the expiration date of our current contract draws closer, it’s more important than ever that our members are paying attention to bargaining and participating in bargaining-related activities:

    • Take our bargaining survey to give our union direction during mediation and let us know your thoughts re: settling vs. striking.

    • Attend our town hall on Wednesday, May 22, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. in UHS 8B60.

    • Attend our bargaining rally and BBQ! Join your coworkers at this family-friendly event on Thursday, June 13, at 4:00 p.m. This march will be one of the best tools we have, short of a strike, to show OHSU the strength of our opposition to the take-backs it has proposed. 

    • Start thinking about what you’re willing to do to prevent OHSU’s bad proposals from going into effect. OHSU proposes financial take-backs every contract because it thinks our members will just accept it, but you have the power to tell OHSU that enough is enough. Read our strike FAQ and then read our “S Word” article for steps you can take now to prepare financially in the event our union goes on strike.

Buckle up — today OHSU finally responded to our economic proposals. (See our April 2 and April 9 bargaining updates for details about our proposals.) It’s not good news:

    • 7.7 Time Off Between Regularly Scheduled Shifts: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • 8.2.2 Longevity Rate: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • 9.1.4 Scheduling & Assignment of Overtime: OHSU countered our proposal for penalty pay after an employee works more than 16 hours in a 24-hour period by stipulating that this additional pay would be applicable after 16 consecutive hours.

    • Weekend Differential: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • Float Differential: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • Advanced Certification Differential: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • Preceptor Work: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • 22.1.3 Tuition Discounts: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • 22.2 Requirements of Job Position: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • 28 Labor Management Committee: OHSU approved funding to maintain Labor Management Committee activities (including the Career and Workplace Enhancement Center) for three years.

    • Appendix A: Contract Variations Applicable to Salaried Employees: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • Free TriMet Bus Passes: OHSU rejected our proposal, but offered to not increase the cost of TriMet passes for AFSCME employees for the duration of the new contract.

    • PERS Pension Rates: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • 403(b) Contribution Match: OHSU rejected our proposal.

    • 8.1 Across the Board Increases: OHSU proposed an effective 1.0% raise for each year of a three-year contract. We say “an effective 1.0%” here because OHSU proposed 1.5% increases, but would withhold 0.5% to help address its pay inequities. It also proposed additional pay increases for employees who make $19.23/hour or less.

In addition to rejecting our economic proposals, OHSU is standing firm on its insurance take-backs and its unpopular PTO proposal, making some small movements in a few areas. Check out the details here.

During its presentation this afternoon, OHSU made it clear that it (a) doesn’t feel its current financial position is as exceptional as we do, (b) feels that members of our bargaining unit are compensated well above market and (c) feels that its proposed insurance take-backs are modest and that our insurance benefits will remain “rich” even after the take-backs. Undoubtedly, OHSU’s bargaining-update email will contain bells and whistles to convince our members that it can’t afford any of our economic proposals and that what it has proposed is all that our members deserve (or don’t deserve). Do you agree? How would your pay be affected if all of OHSU’s proposals went into effect as they currently stand?

OHSU’s compensation FAQ states that “Many people choose to work at OHSU because they believe in its mission. When people look at the pay and benefits at OHSU, and consider the chance to do meaningful, rewarding work, the clear choice should be to join — and stay — at OHSU.” It actually seems as if the employer expects us to stay at OHSU merely for the chance to do meaningful work, rather than for pay that keeps up with the cost of living and benefits that are affordable. As you ponder the above and perhaps wonder why OHSU doesn’t seem to value the work done by AFSCME-represented employees, you should know that OHSU executives received $1.4 million in bonuses in 2018 — in addition to their $30 million in base pay. (A copy of the article from the Lund Report will be attached to today’s bargaining-update email.)

Finally, and we can’t stress this enough: If you are upset by OHSU’s take-backs and its rejection of our economic proposals, you must act to keep them from becoming reality: take the survey, show up at the town hall, show up at the bargaining rally and make sure your coworkers know about the type of contract OHSU is proposing for us. OHSU is counting on its assumption that our members aren’t willing to withhold their labor for a short time in order to win a fair contract — will you prove OHSU wrong? We need to tell OHSU “enough is enough” now.

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