Negotiating Team Election Next Steps: Understanding Your Election Options
Starting September 4, dues-paying members can vote in the Hub for how the elections process will work for the 2025 Local 328 Negotiating Team.
Keep reading for important information about how this election will work and what your voting options will be.
Why are we holding another election? I already voted for the Bargaining Team.
Local 328 held an election for the 2025 Negotiating Committee from July 8 through July 14.
Members filed three protests against this election. You can read the Elections Committee’s Report on the Local 328 Blog, which summarizes the protests and other alleged policy violations.
The Local then asked the membership to vote whether they wanted to hold a re-vote for the Negotiating Team, and a majority voted yes.
Why are we voting on the election process instead of who’s on the Negotiating Team?
This election will have two steps.
Step 1: Members must decide HOW the Negotiating Team will be composed.
Our Local’s constitution states that the membership must have a say in the number and structure of the negotiating team (Article IX, Section 6). The Local 328 Board can make a proposal, but the membership must vote on that proposal. The Local 328 Executive Board accidentally skipped this step during the protested election, so the Local is now correcting the course.
Step 2: Members will re-vote on WHO will be on the Negotiating Team.
This vote will open Sept. 11 and close Sept. 19. You can read candidate statements on the Local 328 Blog.
What are the options for HOW the Negotiating Team will be composed?
Option 1: Sector Hybrid Election (proposed by the Local 328 Board)
Option 2: At-large Election
What is a Sector Hybrid Election?
Our Local represents hundreds of job titles at OHSU, ranging from Pharmacists to Cooks to Electricians to Vet Technicians. These jobs fall into six “sectors,” which are labels historically used by Oregon labor rules and laws to categorize types of work.
A Sector Hybrid Election means that each sector has one guaranteed seat on the 2025 Negotiating Team. The remaining seven seats are filled based on the highest number of votes from the remaining electors.
What are the six sectors, and how many members are in each one at OHSU??
| Sector | Number of Local 328 members | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Clerical - Administrative/Finance | 2093 | Administrative jobs that focus on system focused support work, documentation, analysis, data validation or finances |
| Professional | 1215 | Secondary level education or certification/licensed/technical advanced providers and other salaried professionals subject to Appendix A |
| Technical | 2157 | Skilled positions with pt focus |
| Skilled Trades | 147 | Facilities maintenance services and licensed skilled trades |
| Pt Support Services | 2260 | Patient focused or patient involved support positions, entry or standard level of certification/licensed/technical skilled positions |
| Support Services | 585 | System/infrastructure support positions |
How do I know which jobs fall into which sector?
You can find a complete list saved on Google Drive.
Why did the Local 328 Board propose a Sector Hybrid Election?
A Sector Hybrid Election means that there is guaranteed representation on the Negotiating Team across OHSU’s different types of jobs.
The intention is for the Negotiating Team to voice a diverse range of members’ needs and concerns. Also, this option avoids the possibility of a Negotiating Team being composed entirely of a single type of job.
What is Option 2: “At-large Election?”
An At-large Election means that the 13 candidates who receive the most votes will comprise the Negotiating Team. No seats are reserved for any specific category of members.
What are my next steps?
Sept. 4 to Sept. 7: Vote on the Hub for HOW the Negotiating Team will be comprised.
Sept. 11 to Sept. 19: Vote on the hub for WHO will be on the Negotiating Team.
In-person voting options will also be available. Times and locations to be shared soon.
Sept. 20: Read the election results on the Local 328 Blog.
Please email the Elections Committee at election@local328.org with any questions.
Thank you for your patience with and participation in our Local’s democratic process. Together, we can fairly elect our 2025 Negotiating Team, and get one step closer to securing a strong contract for our members.