Vaccination Bargaining

AFSCME Local 328’s No. 1 priority is to keep our members and the community safe. Our union strongly encourages our members to take the COVID-19 vaccine of their choice. As reported, the state of Oregon prohibits mandatory vaccine requirements for health-care workers. OHSU can only implement a mandatory vaccine requirement if our union agrees to it, which is why we issued a demand to bargain. Negotiations on this began yesterday evening and will continue next week. We believe there should be incentives, medically necessary, non-invasive testing for workers, a continued mask mandate per CDC recommendations and scientific education for our members by OHSU providers (their colleagues), with opportunities to ask questions and learn. To be clear, however, we have not waived our members’ rights under the law, which protects them from employer mandates.