A Pharmacist's Perspective on OHSU's Broken System
—guest post by Roger Clark, Local 328 executive-board member—
My name is Roger Clark. I’ve worked as a staff pharmacist at OHSU for almost 12 years, the past 10+ years of that time in OHSU’s Emergency Department. I had always paid attention to union-related activities (mostly contract negotiations), but really began my involvement with Local 328 in earnest when I was elected to the 2019 bargaining team. I now sit on our union’s executive board, where we make decisions about union operations and bettering the work lives of the members of our bargaining unit.
In my role with our union, I hear about OHSU’s broken disciplinary system on a regular basis. While our contract is written to guarantee that all appropriate steps are taken before someone represented by Local 328 can be terminated, steps are often skipped by managers, and supervisors look for any and every small opportunity to discipline an employee. I also see instances where discipline is given out unequally. Employees in minority groups are targeted for discipline to a greater degree. Employees in positions of power are not held to the same standards we are — they are often allowed to provide an apology or explanation instead of being disciplined, or are given a light penalty that doesn’t match the seriousness of their behavior. Managers or providers who are shown to have violated OHSU’s Code of Conduct are allowed to leave employment on their own terms, sometimes with a reference from OHSU.
I’m sure that by now you’ve all heard about the sexual-harassment lawsuit brought against OHSU and a former anesthesia resident by a former employee. If you haven’t read the text of the lawsuit, I encourage you to do so. It is eye opening how OHSU appears to have failed this employee at so many points in the investigation process and to have dismissed her earlier accusations against a separate employee. More details are surfacing, and the entire picture has yet to materialize. (I will warn you that the contents of the lawsuit are at times graphic and might be distressing for those who have had similar experiences.)
Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, it is time to hold OHSU to a higher standard. Sexual-harassment cases should have an unbiased investigation, one unmarred by victim-blaming and retaliation. Everyone deserves to feel safe to come to work, and to feel safe to report acts of sexual harassment, aggression or discrimination at work. We should feel confident that OHSU’s leadership, at every level, will take allegations seriously and come to a resolution that is fair and removes from the workplace those who pose a threat to coworkers. Unfortunately, this isn’t currently happening.
Those who are accused of misbehavior should be allowed due process, of course, but if there are legitimate safety concerns, employees should be made aware as soon as possible. Unfortunately, leadership within my own department has been silent on the current sexual-harassment lawsuit, as well as on other ongoing potential safety and discrimination issues. It is certain that other departments are suffering from the same lack of guidance and reassurance.
You should know that someone is available to hear your complaints and work to make sure there is a resolution. You should know that someone cares about your safety and well-being at work. To that end, the Local 328 contract was updated last bargaining session to allow our represented employees to report instances of harassment and discrimination directly to our union. This was intended to allow employees to report without fear of intimidation and retaliation from their supervisors. If you’ve experienced sexual or racist harassment or discrimination, aggression, retaliation or any other behavior that makes you feel unsafe while trying to perform your job, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your unit steward about next steps or call the Oregon AFSCME SMART Center at (844) 758-6466 to make a report to our union.
In addition, if the news of the past several weeks has been distressing or triggering to you, I encourage you to use the employee assistance program to participate in counseling if you feel it would be helpful.