COVID-19 Update #3: Information and Resources

This is an unprecedented time for all of us, including Local 328. We are attempting to navigate the challenges that coronavirus/COVID-19 has presented. One important thing for you to know is that our union is still working for you. We are actively reporting issues, filing grievances, representing workers and strategizing ways to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. We all have a lot of fear and anxiety right now -- please know that our union has your back and we will get through this together.

In this post we are sharing news about upcoming events, common concerns that our members have raised about the COVID-19 crisis and how to best communicate with our union. We will continue to share news and information as we receive it.

Communicating with Local 328

April 2 Membership Call: On Thursday, April 2, at 6:30 p.m., Oregon AFSCME Council 75 will hold an informational call, functioning like a tele town hall, for all OHSU members: Local 328, Graduate Researchers United and the House Officers Union. We will call you that evening to participate -- in the meantime, please submit your questions here.
AFSCME SMART Center: We are using our SMART (Steward, Member, Assistance, Representation, Training) Center to triage COVID-19 issues. If you have a work-site concern or question, please contact the SMART Center for assistance. This does not keep you from contacting stewards and staff reps or reaching out in other ways, but we want to centralize our information gathering and reporting as much as possible. The SMART Center allows us to effectively document, track and work on our members’ concerns, especially if our regular stewards and staff become ill.
Virtual Tabling: Local 328 staff reps will be setting up virtual tables beginning next week. These will take place through Google Hangouts. You do not need a Google account to participate, unless you want to video chat. We will post a schedule on our Facebook page the afternoon of Monday, March 30. Information on how to participate in the Hangouts will be emailed and posted online as appropriate.

The Importance of Specific Reporting

A lot of our members’ concerns are being shared with us in very general terms or as second- or third-hand reports. In order to effectively address these concerns, however, we need specific, direct reports -- including names, dates, times, supervisors involved, contact information and a description of what happened. You don’t have to write a book, but we do need enough information to do an effective follow-up. Now is not the time to be concerned about retaliation. An employee who is being exposed to the coronavirus at work but doesn’t want to be named because of potential for retaliation may be the same person who eventually infects coworkers and family members in two weeks. We want our members to feel as safe as possible, but we can’t turn away from problems that could create far worse problems later, especially since there are protections in place to combat retaliation.

Common Concerns Being Raised

Central Labor Pool: The Central Labor Pool is OHSU’s resource for matching available staff with needed positions. We are communicating with OHSU about the Central Labor Pool and await responses to our questions. We will continue to evaluate what is happening with this and will enforce our contract as appropriate. Please keep letting us know your concerns about redeployment via the SMART Center. Expect more information once Local 328 has received clarification. Eligible employees (non-critical employees on leave with pay, non-critical employees who can perform less than 50% of their jobs remotely, critical-function employees who have been or may be curtailed/placed on leave) may sign up for the Central Labor Pool here.
Hazard Pay: Local 328 initially raised the possibility of hazard pay with OHSU during negotiations for our COVID-19 letter of agreement. OHSU declined to discuss the issue citing that the whole university would be facing this threat. As the COVID-19 crisis has progressed however, it is very clear that different employees face different levels of exposure to danger, and our union will look to revisit the issue -- we don’t want to give folks false hope, but we believe that employees on the front line deserve to be compensated for that risk. However, it is also very clear that the financial situation of OHSU and of our society in general is uncertain.
Personal Protective Equipment: The shortage of PPE is a core issue Local 328 is looking at. While the new OHSU dashboard showing PPE stocks (linked to in OHSU’s daily COVID-19 updates) is a good first step, it is still unclear what some of the levels mean. What is clear is that OHSU does not have enough PPE, and the shortage is real throughout the country. Our union is advocating for more PPE and safer usage of what we do have. Please keep sharing your stories about PPE and what you need. Local 328 members took part in a call with U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici this week, during which we discussed our concerns about the lack of PPE. Giving our political representatives real, unfiltered information is important, and our union will continue to do that.
Working in Unsafe Conditions: This is another key concern many members have raised. Our union is still evaluating these reports and we have had success raising concerns with HR. Please continue to keep our union informed. That being said, there are some shifting parameters from both the CDC and the Oregon Health Authority. Workers still have rights; for instance, OSHA has guidelines on safe working conditions and the right to refuse to do dangerous work. Our union will stand with you.
High-Risk Employees Working on the Front Line: If you are a high-risk employee who needs an accommodation, there is a process in place for you to receive that. You can find information about the process in OHSU’s March 18 COVID-19 update, about halfway down this OHSU Now post. We have also created a PDF with the information, which can be found here.
What Happens after June 30?: The fact is, we do not know. The economic landscape of the entire country is being impacted, and that includes OHSU. The employer has committed to maintain a full workforce with full pay and benefits through June 30, and we commend OHSU’s leadership on this step. Like you, our union is unclear about what will happen after that. Our leadership will be requesting information and guidance from OHSU on what they expect. One thing that is clear is that we have a contract, with protections that will be enforced. This is one of the reasons a union is so valuable. We know this is a concern, and we will share additional information as we receive it.

Additional Resources

The COVID-19 pages for the CDC and OHA are linked above. Below are some additional resources:

If you know of a helpful resource not included above, please let us know about it in the comments -- we’ll add it to the list.

As is the case whenever our society is at risk, it is working people who bear the harshest burden and sacrifice. However, it is also the working people, like us, who come to society’s rescue. The next few weeks will be extremely hard, but the work we all do matters, and together we will save lives. Thank you so much! Stay safe, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our stewards, staff reps, unit stewards and board members. We’ll get through this together!

Union Events, Working at OHSURoss GramiMarch 28, 20202 Comments