AI Bargaining Update
Your AI bargaining team wants to give an update on the status of AI bargaining as we are approaching our final passes with OHSU management.
For background - we started this process over the growing concern that there were AI tools in use that had impacted working conditions of our members. We sought seats on OHSU’s AI governance committee, and we issued a demand to bargain over the changes we discovered. OHSU denied our first demand to bargain stating it was premature. We issued a second demand when we discovered AI had been used to generate data for employee’s GROW conversations (and the data had hallucinations!)
We have been bargaining with all 5 AFSCME locals on campus collectively. This makes a broad coalition across research, education, and healthcare - all 3 mission areas of OHSU. As is always the case, we win bigger when we present unified fronts. On these issues we are unified:
AI shall not replace the work of our represented employees
AI shall not be used to generate discipline
We need guardrails - we cannot trust the employer’s implementation without our voices in the room
We want to define remedies for any employees laid off/displaced by AI
We will not be de-skilled - our members shall not lose the skills they have because of AI implementations. At minimum, there should be a pathway for training to counter this.
Here’s what we’ve passed to OHSU
Defining “AI” - necessary for contract language, and we made sure to future proof the language for new tools (LLMs, geometric models, Gen AI, etc..)
Labor Impact Committee - we have not been able to increase our seats on the AI governance committee. We modified this ask to form a Labor Impact Committee to explore layoffs, deskilling, and any new concerns that arise
Discipline - AI cannot solely make disciplinary recommendations or replace the decision making of HR/ACC/etc. Any AI information that is brought forward has to have a responsible concurring human.
Remediation for Employees Displaced by AI - 90 day layoff notice if layoff due to an AI implementation from the past 12 months, training time to learn new job skills to remain employed, placement onto a preferential recall list, enhanced insurance benefit for longer than standard severance.
Notable Positions from OHSU
On layoffs - OHSU told us they didn’t want their hands tied by any of our contract language if they needed to lay people off to remain market competitive. They don’t want our guardrails! They want to prioritize profit drive over our careers and livelihoods.
OHSU has rejected all individual passes and will only pass us a package - which means we accept it all or none
What originally got them to come to the table was the threat of a ULP - they implemented new AI projects without telling us
We have prioritized de-skilling as a concern of the membership based on our survey. OHSU has had ample time to respond and gave us no response nor counterproposal to address it. Clearly, not a priority for them if your job duties are slowly stripped away by AI.
OHSU isn’t telling us which AI projects from their approved list have been implemented. Truly, it is difficult to write meaningful Impact Bargaining proposals. With so many questions, we cannot have the knowledge of which tools have been implemented. We have reiterated the importance of this information,and clarified our intention to reopen bargaining if undisclosed technologies or impacts are later revealed.
Tuesday next week is our final scheduled session. We have signaled our willingness to extend additional sessions, as we feel we are close and have signaled willingness to withdraw a substantial economic proposal in order to reach agreement.
Next Saturday 10/24 at 2pm Portland Jobs with Justice - one of our community labor partners - is hosting a panel of Unions on the Frontline - Confronting the Corporate AI Offensive. Angelo from our Impact Bargaining Team will be speaking at this panel. Come out!
Sat Oct 24 at Augustana Lutheran Church - 2710 NE 14th Ave Portland OR
Doors 1:30, event 2-4.
