Incentive Pay Negotiations

Last Thursday, OHSU presented a proposal for incentive pay for six AFSCME job classes. While the benefits and scope are much watered down from the just released agreement that ONA represented nurses received, the goal is the same. From management’s perspective these are not bonuses but incentives to certain classes to ensure there is enough staff to do the work. As of right now, OHSU executives do not believe that all workers deserve or need these incentives. For example, critical patient facing units like respiratory therapy, rehab, FNS, and others have been left out. We do not believe that is fair or in line with the needs of many departments. 

Our union has put together a committee of union employees to draft a counter proposal that will expand the number of job classes that the incentives are offered to and look at a more economically fair incentive. We understand that every member who has been working through COVID-19 and especially those who have been put at risk deserve more than OHSU executives have given them. We will fight for that here and when we bargain our next contract, which is just seven months away. 

It is also important at this moment to understand our leverage and power now and in the near future. We are under contract and do not have the ability to strike over something like this. However, it is clear that OHSU does not run because the CFO comes to work, it runs because thousands of good, working-class people do their jobs; and right now, OHSU is running because many folks are putting in so much extra. OHSU executives need to recognize this and reward the folks who make OHSU the place it is. Otherwise, at some point, workers will realize how true the words of early 20th century labor leader Big Bill Haywood are, “If the workers are organized, all they have to do is to put their hands in their pockets and they have got the capitalist class [OHSU execs] whipped.”