The Origins of OHSU’s $1,000 Frontline Recognition Payment

In early August, during a meeting with executives representing hospitals and health-care systems across Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown requested that they provide a bonus of at least $1,000 to frontline employees to recognize the extraordinary work done by their workforces during the pandemic.

On Friday, Aug. 13, Local 328 staff representatives and member leaders contacted OHSU Human Resources for information about when this recognition bonus would be provided to our members. HR stated that they had to determine which employees they felt qualified for the payment; our union made it very clear that we felt that all of our represented employees should qualify for this recognition bonus. A month of email back-and-forth followed.

On the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 10, Local 328 let HR know that we would escalate matters publicly if they didn’t notify us of their decision on Monday, Sept. 13. That appears to have moved the needle — on that day, OHSU announced that eligible classified employees would receive the $1,000 one-time payment in our Oct. 15 paychecks.

There are some conditions for qualification, but we are pleased that the vast majority of our represented employees will qualify for this recognition bonus. All OHSU workers have endured a very difficult year and a half. Our members have worked and struggled as the pandemic affected all of us in various, and often painful, ways in the workplace and at home. We have persevered under enormous stress and critical staffing shortages. This recognition bonus is the right thing to do and will provide much-needed help to many who have suffered financial losses due to the pandemic.

While we appreciate that the employer is finally paying this recognition bonus now, it’s not the first time that OHSU’s leadership has dragged its feet on incentivizing our members during the pandemic. You may recall that OHSU rejected our union’s proposed incentives earlier this summer, after several weeks of delays.

As our union moves closer to bargaining, we must continue to remind OHSU leadership of what employees represented by Local 328 do for this organization and for our communities, and that we expect the employer to recognize the hard work and sacrifices made by all of us to help OHSU meet the challenges of the pandemic.