Mediation Update for 7/15/2025
Today our bargaining team put most of the financial proposals back on OHSU’s plate. We bluntly stated that their rejection of most of the language we passed with no discussion at the table was unacceptable and we need them to more seriously consider these requests.
Realistically, no bargaining team can expect to get everything that they asked for in their initial proposals, but the work put into these can’t just be tossed aside without consideration or discussion.
This includes our request for across the board wage increases.
We did not meet with the mediator as we still have so many non-economic proposals to complete. Both teams made significant movement on the stacks of proposals they brought to the table. OHSU and AFSCME are both committed to clearing as much as we can before our next scheduled session with the mediator on August 5th.
A stack of proposals with yellow tabs denoting that the top of the stack came from AFSCME and the lower roughly 1/3 from OHSU. The stack is well over 100 pages and appears to be between 1 1/2 to
We don’t always separate out the morning and afternoon proposals, but this week it helps avoid confusion since both teams passed Article 2 today. We’ve moving much closer to a tentative agreement on this important language.
AFSCME Morning Counters:
5.5 Consensus: Added back that staffing plans could be created via consensus in departments that fall out of the Hospital Staffing Committee (MOU X). We made a small edit, changing a reference from work unit to work group. We also moved a bit to allow not more than two management representatives on an ad hoc committee and while we agreed that, if possible, a steward added to the committee should be from the same department, we wanted there to be flexibility if there is no steward in that department. OHSU requested the ability to rescind a consensus agreement within the first 30 days if it is found to not be feasible or contractually sound. We agreed to this, but only if both AFSCME and management agree.
8.1 Across the Board Increases: We passed our original proposal back to OHSU today. Management’s offer to us was less than 10% of what we asked for. Even when we’ve gotten insulting wage proposals in the past, they were significantly closer than they are now. In 2022 their initial offer was around 20% of what we asked for.
Bargaining team members again explained that our goal is to bring everyone to a living wage without compromising on getting a fair raise for our entire membership. We also pushed back on management’s insistence that their wages are competitive in “the market.” “The market” has people struggling to pay for food and living in their cars. Poverty wages are unacceptable for an institution of OHSU’s size and reputation, no matter what “the market” permits.
OHSU rejected the following proposals in a Word document without actually responding at the table. Today, we gave them all back, unchanged. We will entertain meaningful responses.
5.X Trainer or Facilitator
5.X Training
8.X Service Recognition Award
10.11 Weekend Differential
10.15 Trainer Pay
10.X Short Staff DIfferential
11.1 Recognized Holidays
11.2-4 Holiday Compensation
12.5 Vacation Accrual
13 Sick Leave
15.2 Insurance Contributions
16.2 Retirement Contributions
MOU X Certification and Licensure Renewal
MOU X Community Outbreak Leave
MOU X Indigenous People’s Day
MOU X Short Staff Differential
MOU X Support for LMC
MOU X Training Trust
MOU X Trauma Intensive Roles
MOU Service Recognition Award
OHSU Morning Counters:
Article 2 Union Rights: We’re getting ever closer on this important article.
2.2 Exclusive Representative: They’re still rejecting designated representatives. They believe this issue is already covered el
Union Officers: OHSU agreed to our proposal to have relief or flex employees who are elected into a union officer position would have their release hours adjusted based on a look back at the last six months. They rejected the assumed minimum .5 FTE that we proposed.
Secretary and Treasurer: OHSU is holding on release time being paid 100% by the union.
2.4.2 Paid Release Hours: They are okay with executive officer release time not counting towards the total number of steward hours.
2.4.3 Activities of Stewards: Stewards must still report in the same pay period but added that they can’t be disciplined without coaching.
Chief steward: Holding current contract language that pay be 50/50
2.7 New Employee Orientation: They have agreed to having 3 people released for NEO, but want the time to come out of steward hours.
2.9 Bargaining Unit Data: OHSU has agreed to provide reporting from Aya, their primary vendor for travelers and agency workers with an additional promise to notify AFSCME should that vendor change.
2.1.2 Union Communications from Internal Sources: OHSU dropped their prohibition against fundraising or membership drives after great discussions during previous passes.
2.13 Union Leave: OHSU is holding on current contract language for the amount of time individuals can go on union lost time and retaining the current requirement that it be taken no more than once every 3 years. They’re concerned there’s a significant impact to the individual departments that workers are pulled from.
2.X Additional Officer: OHSU is willing to meet with AFSCME to discuss how to handle release hours and other provisions should our union vote to amend our constitution and add additional officers (such as a second vice president or additional chief stewards), but they’re still resistant to having a limited reopener.
AFSCME Afternoon Counters:
6.6.3 Failure to Reach Agreement: Passed back a previous proposal that would have it go to a Labor Management Committee and then, if one does not exist or isn’t formed, to the Market-Based Wage Committee.
6.14 Performance Evaluations: Return to current contract language.
15.1.2 Relief Employees: This can be a tentative agreement if OHSU agrees to the changes we requested in 15.2 regarding benefits eligibility for relief and flex employees.
17.2.3 Employment outside of the bargaining unit: We basically returned to a previous proposal without OHSU’s edits. This had gotten needlessly complicated. AFSCME’s position is that this language primarily applies to people who have moved outside of the bargaining unit on a temporary basis, usually to fill a gap for OHSU. There was some discussion at the table of how it’s been applied more broadly in the past, including those who apply for and move to a management position on what is presumed to be a permanent basis. A future counter will probably separate those situations out.
2 Union Provisions: We passed this back to OHSU in the afternoon. Hopefully we’re close to a TA.
2.2 Exclusive Representative: We agreed to drop “designated representatives” in 2.2 Exclusive Representative for an addition in 2.4.3 Activities of Stewards that states that members working with stewards regarding investigatory meetings, grievances, or pre-dismissal meetings will do so with no loss of pay. Our ultimate goal was to protect this time for our members.
Union Officers: We agreed to drop the minimum assumed FTE from our language for our officers. OHSU argued that this would effectively be forcing someone to work additional hours. Given this perspective, we believe having a 6 month look-back should be sufficient and there is still the possibility of creating an LOA if a special circumstance comes up with one of our elected officers.
We agreed to keep the Treasurer and Secretary release hours as being 100% union-paid if they agree to making the Chief Steward’s hours 100% OHSU-paid.
2.4.3 Activities of Stewards: We’ve agreed to OHSU’s language requesting that stewards enter their time during the pay period when it was taken. Our main concern was creating a new avenue of discipline for our stewards. They made promises at the table that are actionable in arbitration not to do this without someone having egregious issues. This would already be covered under progressive discipline, but having explicit call outs still helps with clarity.
2.7 New Employee Orientation: We’re still working on getting better coverage for New Employee Orientation. We updated our request to be for 3 union leaders to be released. There was discussion at the table of this time coming from the overall steward hours and it’s likely this language is very close to being agreed on.
2.9 Bargaining Unit Data: We’re getting closer on language to track travelers. We responded to the move OHSU made this morning by replacing a reference to their main contractor, Aya with a request for reporting from “the employer’s primary staffing partner(s).” This should eliminate the need for the language they added that promised to update us should they change vendors. This also ensures that they can’t stop reporting because a new vendor doesn’t automatically provide the same information or leaving a large hole in the data should OHSU split their contracts among multiple vendors.
2.13 Union Leave: We agreed to current contract language for the number of days someone can be out on lost time and that the standard is that it can be taken once every 3 years, but added that a manager can waive this limitation.
OHSU Afternoon Counters:
24.1 Grievance Procedure: Getting closer here, as well.
24.1.3 Union Representation: OHSU dropped their additional language and have agreed to our most recent pass, recognizing that their additions were redundant.
24.1.4.d Grievances of specific matters: OHSU has agreed to our concept, but offered what they believe to be a structure that’s easier to understand and track. This language was cut from 24.1.4 but a reference to an edited 6.8.5, now titled “Removal and consideration of materials.” Whether or not an employee requests that a verbal or written warning be removed after one year and there’s no additional discipline, then they can not be considered for the purposes of progressive discipline. They believe this meets our needs.
OHSU is still highly resistant to our concept of a union being won if management doesn’t respond, calling it a “total non-starter.” Our team pushed back, pointing out that the primary tool we have in this situation will be filing an unfair labor practice with the state of Oregon, something that neither party views as an ideal escalation. There will likely be more discussion of this topic.
6.16 Access to Pager: OHSU added back in the circumstances where someone would need to use their own device (basically for temporary or emergency situations). They agreed to our language saying that delivery of a shared device would only be done on paid time unless it was the employee’s fault. We had some discussion on where the line is drawn between paid and unpaid time to be sure the language captures as much of the nuance as we can. We want to be sure that there’s as little room for disagreement as possible.
6.16.1 Replacement of non-shared devices: OHSU moved on this language (they previously denied it in its entirety), but cut positions they still believe are unnecessary.
Use of vacation: They believe we’re close but needed to restructure for clarity. Simplified the language that would apply to workers with a flexible work schedule. For relief employees, they want to limit to an average number of hours over the past six months. So if you’re working an average of 20 hours a week, you would need to use no fewer or more than 20 hours of vacation.
Possible Tentative Agreements:
5.46 Work Unit.
23.6 Unauthorized Absences
MOU 6: Services for Employees Whose Primary Language is Not English.
MOU X: Consensus Agreement Reporting.
Since we didn’t meet with the mediator, we were able to livestream today and will have those videos added to the Bargaining 2025 page as soon as possible.
To better prepare for our mediation on August 5th, we have agreed to have next week’s session and August 12th’s sessions be work days. This means we won’t have a full update next week or on the 12th, though there will certainly be news to share.
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