COVID-19 Update #1
3/13/20 Update: OHSU responded to our proposed LOA at 12:30 p.m. today. Local 328 leadership is evaluating and will be responding to their proposal. We will provide additional updates as we have them.
COVID-19, also referred to as coronavirus disease, was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday, March 11. As governments and companies across the globe have taken steps to deal with its impacts, our union has also been looking at steps to take to protect our members.
On Monday, March 9, Local 328 leadership met with OHSU HR leadership and proposed a new letter of agreement. The full LOA can be read here. A summary follows:
Temporary expansion of telework options
Temporary waiver of limits on vacation accruals and cash-out
Temporary freeze on discipline for sick time taken due to COVID-19 or similar symptoms
Paid administrative leave for exposed employees who are under quarantine
Language stating that employees who have possibly been exposed to the novel coronavirus be referred to their physician
Temporary changes to FMLA protections to better support employees
Companies like Trader Joe’s and even Walmart have begun to take steps to protect their employees and the public. We are hopeful that OHSU will take a leadership role in doing everything it can to protect employees and the public. As of 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, we have not heard a formal response to the proposed LOA. Additionally, it should be noted that our union is working on a series of additional LOAs to deal with COVID-19 impacts.
Local 328 is following the advice of public-health officials and scaling back meetings and public events for now. Our union will still function, operate efficiently and represent employees but do not expect tablings, town halls or in-person meetings until we get a clearer grasp on what is happening.
At a statewide level, AFSCME Council 75 has been engaging in the Oregon AFL-CIO coalition that is leading efforts to ensure that the state’s response takes working people into consideration; these conversations are happening at the highest level of our state government. We will update our members with any announcements as we get them.
Right now, our union is asking our represented employees to follow the advice of public-health officials and OHSU administration. Our single goal should be to curtail the spread of this virus so that health-care systems are not overwhelmed and vulnerable populations are not put at further risk.
We will provide updates as we have additional information to share, and will also be working on an FAQ specific to our members’ concerns. If you have questions, suggestions or thoughts on next steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, please comment here on our blog or reach out to union leadership.