Defending Research. Defending Workers. Defending OHSU’s Mission.
Defending Research. Defending Workers. Defending OHSU’s Mission.
OHSU leadership has advanced two major structural changes that have deeply alarmed union members and research professionals across the institution:
The proposed transition of the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) into a sanctuary. The OHSU Board of Directors has passed a resolution for OHSU to begin negotiations to this end.
The announcement of a proposed transition of cancer and clinical trials research administration into the Knight Cancer Group. This work is currently being performed by Local 328 members employed at OHSU.
For AFSCME Local 328, these are not abstract administrative adjustments. They represent potential job loss, erosion of union representation, and further destabilization of a workforce that has already endured significant disruption.
Under the leadership of AFSCME Local 328 President Jennie Olson, our union responded swiftly and strategically to defend both workers and the integrity of OHSU’s public mission.
ONPRC: Speaking Truth at the Board Level
The proposed transition of ONPRC could eliminate dozens of union-represented jobs and dismantle a nationally recognized research center. The speed with which the proposal was advanced raised serious concerns among workers across the university.
At the OHSU Board of Directors meeting, President Olson spoke eloquently and forcefully in defense of ONPRC workers and the research mission. She reminded the Board that their duty is to safeguard, defend, and fight for the values of the University — not to capitulate to vague external pressures or move forward without transparency.
She made clear that decisions of this magnitude cannot be treated as routine restructuring. They affect careers, families, research continuity, and public trust. A public university’s governing board has a responsibility to steward the institution with courage and accountability.
Local 328 members showed up visibly in support of ONPRC colleagues, underscoring that these jobs matter and that the workforce will not remain silent when research and union positions are placed at risk. All of these organizing actions have resulted in three advisory seats for Local 328 employees on the OHSU Council on the Future of ONPRC.
The Knight Cancer Institute Restructuring: A Structural Threat to Union Jobs
Shortly after the ONPRC decision advanced, research administrators learned through an OHSU NOW post that clinical trials infrastructure may be transitioned into a separate business entity, the Knight Cancer Group.
The announcement raised immediate and fundamental concerns:
Would union-represented employees be moved out of OHSU, and would the move be physical, or a restructure to a new employer?
Would the new entity exclude union representation?
Would this work currently being performed by our members be contracted out?
Why was labor not consulted prior to a public announcement?
Why undertake another major restructuring so soon after the “strategic alignment” initiative that resulted in hundreds of layoffs, primarily affecting Research Administration?
President Olson wrote directly to institutional leadership expressing deep concern — both as President of Local 328, and as a Research Administrator. She articulated what many employees were feeling: that announcing major operational changes publicly, without prior engagement or internal clarity, was destabilizing and damaging to morale.
Following that communication, President Olson spoke directly with President Elnahal. During that call, he stated that implementation would be paused to ensure labor unions are involved in the process. He further stated there would be no reductions in force and that the transition would not resume until operational implementation is fully understood.
That pause was not incidental. It came after labor asserted its right to be included in decisions of this magnitude.
Importantly, President Olson will also be meeting this week with Knight Cancer Institute leadership, including Dr. Brian Druker, to ensure that union concerns are addressed directly and that any proposed structural changes do not undermine represented employees, our collective bargaining agreement, or the long-term stability of research operations. Engagement at that level reflects a commitment to problem-solving — not just protest — and to ensuring labor has a seat at the table before decisions are finalized.
Why This Matters Beyond One Center or One Institute
These issues are interconnected.
Closing ONPRC eliminates union jobs outright.
Carving out research operations into separate entities risks removing work from union representation altogether.
Both shift power away from front line workers and weaken the collective voice that protects job security, fair standards, and institutional stability.
Public research institutions rely on experienced staff who carry operational knowledge, compliance expertise, and institutional memory. When workers are excluded from strategic decision-making, instability follows.
President Olson has consistently insisted on one principle: if OHSU claims to value partnership with labor, that partnership must be real — especially during structural change.
Steady Leadership in a Moment of Instability
In response to these developments, AFSCME Local 328 has:
Defended ONPRC workers publicly and directly before the Board
Gained three advisory seats for Local 328 on the OHSU Council on the Future of ONPRC
Communicated clearly and forcefully with executive leadership
Asserted the union’s right to bargain over major operational changes
Secured a pause in implementation of the Knight restructuring
Engaged directly with Knight leadership to protect union-represented roles
Centered the voices of research administrators and front line workers
This is what experienced leadership looks like.
Not reactive outrage.
Not silence.
But organized, strategic action that protects jobs and demands accountability.
The challenges facing ONPRC and research restructuring are not fully resolved. But one thing is clear: union workers at OHSU have leadership willing to speak plainly, act decisively, and insist that employees are not treated as expendable in institutional strategy.
Defending research means defending the people who make it possible.
And defending OHSU’s mission means defending union jobs.
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