It's Respiratory Therapy Week - Stand Up for Our RTs!!
I’m writing to express deep concern about RT leadership’s decision to eliminate the Flex staff and reassign them into Relief roles. Not only does this appear to be a violation of our contract, but it puts a department already severely understaffed into an even more precarious situation to fill slots. Flex staff were given an ultimatum: accept a Relief position or resign. This decision was made without consultation or transparency, and to our union, violates the current AFSCME contract under sections Appendix B Article 5.13 and 5.16.
The four Flex RTs impacted—Jenn Ellingson, DeAsia Chenault, Jacy Lawson, and Jason Schommer—have shown unwavering dedication to OHSU for 10–30 years. They have continued to support the department despite living in different states, cross-trained to assist in the PICU, and regularly picked up shifts to keep patient care safe.
The Flex role was designed to provide adaptable coverage—not to function as Relief staff. Forcing this change undermines trust, sets a dangerous precedent for unilateral job changes, and would cost the department invaluable experience at a time when RT staffing is already critical.
Despite having 17 travelers signed on, the department continues to face unsafe workloads and staffing plan violations. Eliminating Flex roles won’t solve these issues—it will make them worse. OHSU needs more Flex RTs, not fewer.
With our union’s support, we’ve created a petition to demand job security for current and future RT Flex staff. Please add your name and stand with us:
Every signature matters. Together, we can make OHSU listen.
Please feel free to reach out to your department Steward if you have questions or want to be more involved in the next steps.
Thank you so much, and your support is deeply appreciated.
Solidarity Always