OHSU Follows Up 2019 Bargaining with Anti-Union Activity in Hillsboro

Editor’s Note: OHSU executives have rescinded emails sent to Local 328 members.

Employees at OHSU Hillsboro Medical Center (formerly Tuality Healthcare), are exercising their legal right to join our union and bargain collectively. Unfortunately, some staff are facing threats and intimidation from hospital management for trying to better their lives by organizing. This comes after 2019 bargaining, which saw OHSU management shamed by the illegal actions of its own management bargaining team, and statements from Dr. Danny Jacobs about the need to do better. It seems that those statements are worth very little. 

Employees at OHSU Hillsboro have been told they “should quit their job” if they don’t like it, that the union would be a “big mistake” and more. This is illegal intimidation of OHSU employees. As is so often the case, it is the workers in EVS, Food and Nutrition and other frontline departments who have faced the brunt of this bullying behavior. Management is turning up the fear so OHSU can continue to keep the profits of employees' labor and unilaterally dictate working conditions. Our members across the OHSU system must take a stand. 

OHSU Hillsboro leadership -- president Lori James-Nielsen and HR vice president Kelley Frengle -- must stop allowing their managers to violate the law. OHSU managers (including executives) who are emailing workers and threatening disciplinary action if they speak about the union must stop violating the law. OHSU employees must be allowed to organize without management attempting to intimidate and frighten them. These are fundamental legal rights that OHSU is violating.

Employees and the community are watching. If OHSU continues to be a bad actor regarding workers’ rights, why should we believe it will be a positive force for change on racial justice, healthcare equity or any of the other social justice causes its leadership claims to care about?

Stand with OHSU Hillsboro employees and sign our petition to let OHSU know that an injury to one is an injury to all!