Bargaining Update: March 8
Local 328 Proposals
Bargaining has begun! The Local 328 and OHSU bargaining teams met for the first time on Tuesday, March 8. At this stage of negotiations, the proposals are fairly mundane — the more exciting proposed changes, such as economic proposals (across-the-board wage increases, differentials, vacation and sick time, etc.), will come later. Our union proposed changes or new language to more than a dozen sections of the contract today, including:
2.6 Bulletin Boards and 2.9 Use of Employer’s Email: We’ve proposed a number of deletions to these articles, in order to ease some of the contractual restrictions on how we communicate to our members.
2.7 Bargaining Unit Data, 5.X Demographic Information and MOU #X Collection of Demographic Information: We’re asking OHSU to provide us with more information about the demographics of our represented employees, in order to better serve our diverse membership.
2.9.4 Access to OHSU Intranet Pages: We’ve proposed this new section to ensure that our staff representatives have access to important announcements affecting our members. (Currently, they have to rely on member leaders to forward information to them.)
3.X Agreement Signatures: We proposed this new language to ensure that agreements between OHSU and Local 328 (such as memoranda of understanding, letters of agreement and consensus agreements) have all the appropriate signatures.
6.8 Personnel Records: We’re asking for the removal of disciplinary action from an employee’s personnel file to happen more automatically, rather than require the employee to submit a written request to HR to have the information removed.
6.X Exit Interviews: We proposed this new language to ensure that employees who leave OHSU or change departments are offered an exit interview.
25 Strikes and Lockouts: We’ve proposed deletions to this article to ensure that our represented employees have the right to participate in informational pickets prior to our contract’s expiration.
27.6 Work with Dangerous Materials: We’ve proposed additional language to improve exposure testing options for employees.
27.X Paid Administrative Leave for Harassment Allegations: We proposed this new language to ensure that any OHSU member accused of harassment, discrimination or abuse is put on leave pending an investigation, and that any OHSU member impacted by said harassment, discrimination or abuse is also given this opportunity.
27.X Immigration Status Safety: We proposed this new language to ensure that OHSU members, in their capacity as an employee or using OHSU records, do not report undocumented OHSU members or their families to immigration authorities.
28.2 Labor Management Committee Composition: We proposed that any Local 328 representative on the LMC must be a dues-paying member or must have attended an LMC orientation meeting with our union.
OHSU Proposals
OHSU presented a significant number of initial proposals as well, including:
2.5 New Employee Orientation: OHSU proposed adding language stressing the importance of attending NEO and describing how employees who miss their scheduled NEO will make up the session.
5.X.1 Coaching and 23.1 Progressive Discipline: OHSU is asking for new language defining “coaching” as “a performance improvement conversation between the employer and employee,” noting that grievances cannot be filed regarding coaching.
5.20 Preferential Hire List: OHSU proposed additional parameters to this language — employees on the PHL may only apply for two positions at a time, and they must respond to any job offer by the end of the third business day after receiving the offer.
5.X.2 Shift Trade: OHSU is asking for new language defining a “shift trade” as “employees agreeing to cover an equal number of each other’s continuous scheduled hours during the same pay period.”
7.6 Meal Periods: OHSU proposed additional language pointing out that providing meal and rest breaks is OHSU’s responsibility and that taking meal and rest breaks when scheduled or asked to is the employee’sresponsibility.
7.8 On-Call: OHSU proposed adding language clarifying that employees who indicate availability for overtime but aren’t required to immediately commence work when notified of overtime aren’t considered to be on call.
7.11 Clean-Up Time and Special Clothing: OHSU proposed adding language stating that OHSU-issued business-casual clothing isn’t considered “special clothing,” and that employees don’t receive clean-up time if their departments don’t have guidelines in place defining “dirty.”
9.2 Call Back and 10.3 Work from Home While On-Call: OHSU proposed adding language stating that call-back compensation only applies when an on-call employee is physically called back to OHSU for work, and added related clarifying language re: working from home while on call.
14.1.1 Jury Service: OHSU proposed additional language describing options for evening- and night-shift employees.
14.1.4 Military Training Leave: OHSU proposed replacing much of this section with the phrase “The parties shall follow applicable law regarding this leave.”
18.1 Job Bid, 18.1.3 When Job Bid Is Unnecessary and 18.1.5 Restriction on Bids: OHSU proposed clarifications to these sections and proposed adding language restricting new employees from job-bidding into another position for nine months after hire.
21.2 Classification and Reclassification Procedure: OHSU proposed adding language stating that a manager can propose a reclassification to an employee — this would be optional for the employee to accept.
21.4.2 Employee-Requested Reclassification: OHSU is proposing new language stating that an employee may request a downward or lateral reclassification.
Stay Informed
We’ll send an weekly email summarizing what happened during the bargaining session each Tuesday evening after the day’s negotiations and caucusing have ended. You can also find detailed updates here on our blog. In addition, we will periodically post short video reports to our Facebook page. We strongly encourage you to regularly check, share and comment on these reports and updates. Our team’s main bargaining priorities, along with other information, can be found on our bargaining-resources page, which will be updated throughout negotiations.
Get Involved
We’ve scheduled three bargaining forums to date. (These three sessions will be open to all represented employees through May; only dues-paying members may attend future sessions.) These forums will be held from 12 – 1 p.m. via Zoom on the following Wednesdays: March 23, April 20 and May 18. To register, just click on the date you’re interested in attending.
Our union encourages members to observe our bargaining sessions. If you wish to observe all or part of a session, email bargaining@local328.org — we’ll be in touch as soon as we’re ready to start scheduling folks. (Please note that this must be done on your own time, rather than on the clock).
Our vice president, Sarah Curtis, will be holding weekly on-campus (across from the OHSU gift shop) drop-in sessions from 12 – 2 p.m. on Mondays. Stop by on your break or lunch and ask questions about bargaining or other union matters!
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