Ratification Frequently Asked Questions

1. Now that we have a Tentative Agreement, what are the next steps? 

   1. Our next step is to ratify the contract as a union. We will be hosting ratification town halls on Tuesday (2/17) and Wednesday (2/18) at noon (zoom link) to answer your questions. The ratification vote will be held through Election Buddy (just like the strike authorization); voting will open on the morning of 2/19 and will close the evening of 2/22.
   2. Once we have a ratified contract, we will draft a constitution, hold elections for the Executive Board, and train stewards. More info on this will be shared after ratification.
      1. This will take several months to implement and will be the next focus of our activist members. We will be sure to share all information about opportunities, training, membership, contract materials, and more soon. Want to get more involved with this? Let us know!
   3. Only dues-paying members can vote. Want your voice to be heard? Become a member today here! The last day to become a member in order to vote is February 19th! (See FAQ #13 for more info on dues)

2. What does a “yes” vote on this contract mean? 

   1. That you vote in favor of implementing this contract. If 50% plus one of the members who vote in the election vote to ratify, that is sufficient to pass the contract.

3. What does a “no” vote on this contract mean? 

   1. That you do not want to implement this contract. If this contract is voted down, then the contract will go back to the bargaining process. There is no guarantee that this will lead to additional funds being put on the table and may even jeopardize what we have secured. Another strike notice might be given if we can’t reach another Tentative Agreement. 

4. How will I get my ballot? 

   1. Election Buddy will send you a unique link to vote by text and by email. 

5. What is the Year 1 wage increase? The greater of:

   1. A new minimum wage of $23.18/hour ($48,214/year) OR
   2. $1.25/hour increase OR
   3. Progressive wage increases of:
      1. 5.5% for grades R06-R14
      2. 5% for grades R15-R17
      3. 4.5% for grades R18-R26
      4. 4% for grades R27+
   4. As part of the new classification system OHSU has created, some job titles will be consolidated and/or moved into a higher classification grade, with a corresponding new minimum salary. This will lead to a higher percentage wage increase for some of those members than the progressive wage scale outlined above.
   5. As a result, over 70% of our members will get raises of 5% or higher
   6. We did also secure a $1200 payment from OHSU that was paid to employees in January as a settlement in our unfair labor practice suit over their refusal to give researchers the 2% merit raise on October 1st.
   7. An earlier offer from OHSU included an additional one-time payment of $1200, but after further negotiation that money has been rolled into higher wage increases at ratification. The bargaining team believes this will benefit members in the long-term, as all future wage increases and retirement benefits are calculated from base wages.

6. When will the Year 1 wage increases go into effect? 

   1. If we can ratify the contract by February 22nd, they will go into effect on March 9th and you will see them reflected in your paycheck on March 27th. 

7. The Year 1 wage increase is confusing. How can I find out what my new salary will be? 

   1. We totally understand and this is a lot of information to absorb, it’s important to remember that you will get an increase that is derived from whatever ends up being greater for you - 1.) increasing to the new minimum of your new salary range, 2.) the $1.25/hour increase, or 3.) the percentage increase assigned to new salary range that your classification is allocated. OHSU sent the bargaining team a file with the new salary information for all members, but it does not take into account where wages will be placed on the new scales to be compliant with the pay equity laws (see below). We are hoping to coordinate with OHSU's compensation team to email a personalized statement to each researcher detailing how the contract will improve their wages over the life of the contract.

8. For those of us being reclassified to a different grade (i.e. Comp Bio 1 369.S to R29), will we maintain our current position within our grade (25th percentile, midpoint, 75th percentile, etc.) or be started at the "minimum" listed?

   1. The short answer is that we need to wait until the new wages go into effect to see how OHSU places employees on the new scales.
   2. Nobody’s wage will be lowered as a result of implementing the new contract and all employees will receive an increase in their rate of pay that causes the greatest (increase to the new minimum of the salary range, $1.25 or the percentage increase or the percentage increase negotiated for their new pay range.).
   3. From the contract: “Employees entering a Research classification will be placed on the pay range based on their relevant experience to the classification, as determined by the Employer. An employee who believes their placement does not appropriately reflect their prior experience must submit a written request for review within thirty (30) calendar days of their initial placement. Wage placements are deemed final and are not subject to challenge, if an employee does not submit a written request within the above timeline.”
   4. If you do not believe that you are placed correctly on the new scales, you can request a review within 30 days. How do you go about this? We will be asking Labor Relations for clarifications and will share them when we have them! Please contact the union with any questions – we are here to support you!

9. I’m at the top of my pay range, will I get the wage increases as salary or as a bonus? 

   1. Every researcher will receive the wage increases as salary, even if that means they will be above the “maximum” of the pay scale. The contract states, “The Employer shall provide across-the-board wage increases to all Research employees covered by this contract, regardless of whether an employee is at the maximum range of their pay grade”.

10. What is the wage increase for years 2 and 3? 

    1. The Year 2 wage increase will be 3.25% and will take effect on October 1, 2026.
    2. The Year 3 wage increase will be 3% and will take effect on October 1, 2027. 

11. Why did we settle for these Year 2 and 3 increases after having a 92% strike authorization? 

    1. In the end, we had to make a compromise on the Year 2 and 3 increases to secure the progressive wage increase in Year 1. Considering all of the data we had available and our assessment of the risk of continuing negotiations, we believe this was the best deal we could negotiate for our members at this time, in this economic climate. This was an incredibly difficult decision for the team and was not taken lightly, nor made quickly. We did win a major concession on Friday night from OHSU, agreeing that our Year 2 wage increases will go into effect on October 1, 2026 instead of the anniversary of the contract (March 9, 2027) as they had proposed under all their offers. This means that researchers will receive two wage increases this year: one in early March and a second raise just 7 months later. Additionally, in the same concession on 2/13, OHSU agreed to move the effective date of the third wage increase to October 1, 2027 rather than the second anniversary of the contract (March 9, 2028.)  This will also allow our next contract bargaining cycle to align with other OHSU unions (i.e. Local 328, APU, and others) to apply collective pressure and for us to begin bargaining again and building upon this contract more quickly.

12. When does the rest of the contract go into effect? 

    1. The contract will largely go into effect at the beginning of the second pay period (March 9th if we ratify by February 22nd), with the exception of the following articles; these will go into effect at the beginning of the fourth pay period (April 6th if we ratify by Feb 22nd) to allow OHSU to implement the systems changes required:
       1. Insurance Benefits
       2. Time off and Leaves
       3. Hours of Work
       4. Overtime and Premium Pay
       5. Employment Practices and Procedures
       6. Compensation (with the exception of the Year 1 wage increases and new pay scales)
       7. Health and Safety
       8. Union Rights
       9. Modified Operations
       10. Retirement
       11. Career Development

13. When will union dues start being deducted from my paycheck, how much will they be, and what are they used for? 

    1. Dues are 1.275% of salary, up to a maximum of $93/month, and are paid with pre-tax dollars, and this does not include differentials, bonuses, or overtime.
    2. It is our expectation currently that dues will be deducted at the time of the wage increase implementation.
    3. A portion of your dues will remain with our local (Research Workers United), which means we will decide how best to use them to advance our interests in the workplace. The rest are split between the statewide AFSCME council (Council 75) and AFSCME International. These funds are used to pay for member training, expert staff to help support our local and bargain good contracts, legal services, advocacy for labor-friendly laws and policies, bringing new members into our union, and a variety of other services to improve the lives of members.

14. I want to change my health insurance to the EPO plan now that dependents are covered 100%. How can I do that? 

    1. OHSU will be providing an open enrollment period specifically to allow enrollment into the EPO plan. More details to come.
    2. From the contract: “OHSU will provide bargaining unit employees with a one-time, special open enrollment period for the sole purpose of allowing employees to enroll in the EPO plan. During this special open enrollment period, other benefits may not be changed (e.g., enrollment in an FSA, changing dental plans, changing into a medical plan other than the EPO plan). The special open enrollment period will last at least fourteen (14) calendar days and will begin no later than sixty (60) calendar days after ratification. Changes will take effect the first (1st) of the month following the end of the special open-enrollment period.”

15. How can I find a copy of the final contract? 

    1. The contract is in process of being put together as a final document. We will share that with you as soon as we can, hopefully before the ratification vote opens. In the meantime, here are the TA’d articles to date. This folder also includes the remaining articles that were agreed to on Feb 13th. Check out our website for a summary of what we’ve achieved in our first contract.

16. I’m not happy with something in the contract. Are there any options for changing it? 

    1. This is our first contract and it was the goal of the bargaining team to negotiate a strong foundation for future contracts to build upon. Through the 526 days of bargaining, we brought forth a number of ideas inspired by our membership, but difficult tradeoffs meant putting some of those ideas on the back-burner in order to prioritize issues that would be most impactful for our members. Contracts are iterative, so we built the base with this contract upon language found in other AFSCME contracts (328, GRU, PWU) in addition to original drafted language. We can improve on it in the next contract cycle based on the experience of implementing the contract.
    2. In some cases, RWU can demand to bargain if OHSU attempts to change r policies that impact the contract. It’s also common for unions and management to negotiate amendments to our contract as new issues come up and if it is in the best interest to workers and management.  These take the form of Letters of Agreement (LOA) or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The circumstances that allow for this are contingent on many things but when necessary or possible in the interest of our members we will be sure to let you know.
    3. This contract will be in effect from the second pay period following ratification (March 9th if ratified by February 22nd) until September 30, 2028. We will likely start bargaining in the spring of 2028 (just over 2 years from now!).
    4. Want to make sure that we address issues you care about in the next contract? Get involved! Follow along during the next bargaining cycle in spring 2028, respond to the surveys that will be sent out prior to bargaining the next contract, volunteer to get involved in the union, or even to be on the next bargaining team! 

17. My promotion/reclassification is pending. How will that work with the implementation of the new contract? 

    1. We will be asking Labor Relations about this to get clear guidance and will update members when we have those answers. 

The Employment practices article will go into effect at the start of the 4th pay period after ratification (April 6th if ratified by Feb 22nd). As part of that article, promotions will receive at least a 4% raise. We believe that pending promotions as of April 6th will also receive a minimum 4% raise, and that promotions finalized before April 6th will receive status quo raises (which vary, but do not include a minimum threshold). But we are confirming.