A Marathon, Not a Sprint
It’s been more than two weeks since the OHSU community was rocked by a recently filed sexual harassment lawsuit. If you’ve been reading OHSU Now, it’s clear that employees are sad, angry, disappointed and, frankly, disgusted by the lawsuit’s claims about OHSU’s lack of support for the plaintiff.
In what has been a difficult time for many of us, we were heartened to read about the crowd that gathered by the Mac Hall fountain to show support for the survivor and to call for change at OHSU.
Unfortunately, sexual harassment and misconduct at OHSU is not a new problem. In a 2018 climate survey of faculty, employees and students, 31% of respondents reported that they had been a victim of sexual misconduct within the past five years. The report paints a dismal picture.
In response to our membership’s concerns about the AAEO complaint intake process, our union was able to negotiate new language in our 2019 – 2022 contract that allowed complaints of discrimination or harassment to be filed directly with Local 328 (see Article 6.1.3).
At the beginning of the month, the AFSCME unions at OHSU issued a joint statement about OHSU’s inaction and culture that allow sexual misconduct and harassment to keep happening. We wanted to inform you of the additional work that’s being done behind the scenes as we continue our call for transparency, accountability and change, including:
Exploring legal and contractually allowed options for employees to express support through labor stoppages or protests.
Submitting a variety of information requests to OHSU, asking for details about the “sexual misconduct fund,” how many similar lawsuits have been filed against OHSU previously, etc.
Working with legislators and others in the state government, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and the Oregon AFL-CIO to determine what support they can provide.
Organizing visible member actions, such as buttons, presence at meetings and more.
Utilizing our national union for resources.
Offering additional training on harassment and discrimination to our members, including information on how to file a Title IX complaint.
Compiling a list of demands, which will likely include changes at OHSU’s AAEO office and bargaining new contract language.
It is apparent that OHSU’s leadership is either unable or unwilling to change the workplace culture that allows discrimination and harassment to continue happening. Inducing long-overdue changes at an institution with more than 23,000 employees and students will be no small feat. Trying to do so during a pandemic, when people are exhausted and socially distanced will add to the difficulty.
This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint — we need to maintain the pressure on OHSU until changes are made. Please remain engaged with this effort: comment on OHSU Now posts, ask your unit steward about upcoming actions or other ways you can help, report incidents to non-OHSU agencies (local law enforcement, Oregon BOLI, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), comment on this issue (anonymously, if you wish) here on our blog, contact our union if you have suggestions for the list of demands.
We believe survivors — the plaintiff in the current case, as well everyone else who has faced sexual harassment or assault at OHSU.
We call for accountability for OHSU leadership.