This is Abigail from your RWU Member Action Team.

RWU presented two BIG articles last week: Compensation and Insurance. This marks a significant milestone in contract bargaining, with our membership overwhelmingly reporting economic issues as their highest priority in surveys, meetings, and conversations. You can see the articles as proposed (featuring rationale for each section) here. Have questions about what is in these? Reach out to us at [email protected] to discuss more. 

Compensation

The RWU bargaining team opened with a slide show of market research based on representative research classifications at OHSU: Research Assistant II, TI Clinical Research Assistant and Senior Research Associate. On average, when compared to researchers in the UC system, UW, OSU and UO, the minimum and maximum ranges at OHSU for these positions were found to be 17.3% below market value.

This article has major goals:

• Increase pay transparency and the promotion of career growth reflected in a new and transparent step-and-grade system developed by the bargaining team.

• Combat wage stagnation and uplift RWU members to a livable wage in Oregon and beyond.

• Strengthen OHSU’s investment in research and ensure PIs are supported to retain scientific talent.

As proposed, all Researchers would receive a raise of 10% at contract ratification. After that initial bump, the bargaining team outlined a new stepwise wage scale, allowing for more transparency, consistency, and structure to our promotional system as opposed to subjective performance raises. In an additional raise, each employee’s salary or hourly amount would be rounded up to the highest next “step” during placement within the first six months of the contract. Following this, each Researcher will increase by one step at the time of their hiring anniversary. The step increments during the first 3 years of the contract will feature a progressive scale within the job grades in order bring the lowest paid employees up to a more livable wage. 

There is the expectation in this article that these pay increases are to be funded by OHSU through general and institutional funding sources over the life of our contract in order to give PI’s and supervisors adequate time to plan for the increase, especially during this time of funding instability. This also applies to departments that are funded through fees of service and other means outside of grants. Contract language in the miscellaneous Employment Practices article was also in RWU’s compensation counter in order to better align with the wage proposal.

While likely not prepared within the next two weeks, we are hopeful to receive a counter on this from management as soon as possible.

Insurance

In collaboration with Local 328, HO, PWU, APU, ONA and AURN, a joint Insurance and EBC counter proposal was drafted. This article will be consistently presented in bargaining sessions of all OHSU employee unions, aiming to obtain consistent benefits and care for all employees. 

Notably, the article introduces a new national group plan. After receiving feedback from remote workers that in-network providers were difficult to find when living out of state, this proposed national network aims to increase accessibility to care. 

The article also urged for: 

• Domestic partners to qualify as dependents

• OHSU contributing 100% cost of the premium for employees and all dependents (95% of the premium for remote worker dependents)

• Mandatory coverage of reproductive fertility treatment/abortions, gender affirming procedures, hormone replacement therapy, and GLP1 inhibitors/weight loss treatments. 

• Increased medical facility access, with comparable in-network rates at non-OHSU clinics if OHSU clinics cannot schedule you within 1 month. 

Additionally, this article included the expansion of the Employee Benefits Council, with each union receiving 1 sitting member for every 2000 union employees. Outside of economic proposals, management countered with the Grievances and Corrective Action articles, leading to a quick tentative agreement (TA)! You can view those and other TA'd articles here.

Upcoming events:

• We'll be joining APU in solidarity of their action at the 4/25 Board of Directors meeting at RLSB (2730 S Moody Ave). RWU shirts encouraged! You can RSVP at this link.

• Our next solidarity social is at Victoria Bar (4835 N Albina Ave) on Wednesday, April 30th from 4pm-6pm. We'd love to see ya there!

RWU in action:

• RWU members have created a petition urging Oregon legislators to protect NIH-funding in the state. Please add your signature to that here.
• AFSCME has set up a Letter Campaign to send individual letters straight to the Governor's office. Send Tina Kotek a letter here.
• AFSCME is seeking "research stories" to use as testimony with the Governor, state legislators, and other outlets. You can fill out the Google form here.
• RWU members joined in helping to organize three HELU-affiliated rallies this past month (two on the SW waterfront and another at the capitol building in Salem) in protest of Federal-level funding freezes and potential cuts to the indirect rates at the NIH. 
• RWU members attended two different AFSCME-coordinated lobbying sessions at the Capitol in February and March and joined Oregon Representatives in sponsoring bills for state protections and commitments to sustained research funding levels this past week with testimony in support of HJM 6.

The next bargaining session will be on Thursday, May 1st from 1-5pm. You can join remotely by Webex at the link below:

Bargaining Session Observation Link:
https://ohsu.webex.com/ohsu/j.php?MTID=ma1a89de4c1b53e3209ae8aaeb8218598

Meeting Number:
2867 749 7423

Meeting Password:
G5Tm3D2ZmgQ

Join from a video or application:
Dial [email protected]

You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.Join by phone:
+1-503-388-9555

Toll Access code: 28677497423

Global call-in numbers:
https://ohsu.webex.com/ohsu/globalcallin.php?MTID=mde484d4fd69e728b416856acd57b247e

Your RWU Bargaining Team,

Henry Harrison

Lynne Swarbrick

Victoria Halls

Lillian Raley

Wes Horton

Cort Cox

Anna Levy

Caitlin Burbank