Our March on the Boss

— guest post by Sarah Curtis, Local 328 vice president —

Thank you to everyone who turned out for our March on the Boss event today — we were 63 members strong!

During our time with Dr. Jacobs, we shared stories of long hours with short staffing.  Stories of discrimination, harassment and racism. Stories of two strenuous years of COVID, with only a pin to show as a token of OHSU's gratitude.

Dr. Jacobs, accompanied by an assistant and an attorney, listened as Anthony Mosley, a PAS specialist from the Richmond Clinic, spoke about coworkers who have been assaulted, threatened, demeaned and dismissed. Anthony gave heartbreaking examples of members who have been driven to the point of considering suicide, and he directly asked Dr. Jacobs to come to the clinic and show our members that he hears them and he cares. Dr. Jacobs was noncommittal.

The line to Dr. Jacobs’ office today stretched down the hallway, around the corner, through the entryway and out the front doors of Baird Hall. Dozens of AFSCME members — pharmacists, CNAs, MAs, EVS workers and more — filled the floor and filed in one at a time. Each one of us spoke truth to power and delivered Dr. Jacobs the same message: INVEST IN US.