RWU has signed onto the following letter with the Oregon Nurses Association and AFSCME Local 328 in response to the handling of former President Danny Jacobs resignation and the process of finding a new President at OHSU.

"On October 24 Dr. David Jacoby filed a $6.2 million dollar lawsuit against OHSU alleging unfair treatment in OHSU’s handling of a public and embarrassing scandal (link). This scandal included giving a $46 thousand dollar bonus to a Doctor that had been accused of taking inappropriate pictures of students in his class (link).

Just hours later Dr. Jacobs announced his resignation as president of OHSU and not 15 minutes later Chad Paulson, the new chair of the OHSU Board of Directors, announced a replacement they will be looking to appoint at their meeting the next day for a 3 year contract. This was a unilateral decision made without any input from staff, faculty, labor unions, or any of the Oregonians they serve.

These actions by the OHSU Board and Executive Leadership Team show a lack of respect and transparency towards every OHSU labor union. Excluding us from any discussion or replacement search sends the message that our voices are not worth hearing. An OHSU Board, which includes members such as Steve Zika, a lumber company CEO, and Wayne Monfries, a Visa VP who does not even live in Oregon, coming together to have Chairman Chad Paulson announce that they know “what is best for the university and its statewide mission” with no discussion on the subject shows a concerning level of arrogance.

Labor voices are just as important as any others and our feedback and input should have been petitioned. Union members and labor work in every facet of this hospital, from top to bottom. We are the boots on the ground that keep this hospital running day in and day out and have an immense amount of first hand experience in every aspect of OHSU’s day to day operations. We have always worked with the OHSU Board in the past as part of the presidential search process, and there was no reason for the OHSU Board of Directors to make an attempt to silence us by removing our valuable input.

OHSU has now appointed Interim President Steve Stadum, and so AFSCME, ONA, and all OHSU unions ask for the OHSU Board, its new chairman, and Mr. Stadum to come and work with us to make amends. We invite the new Interim President to meet with our union’s members and learn about the daily struggles that we endure and how they can be alleviated. We ask Chairman Paulson to include us in the search for a new president, and hear input from our unions on what is really needed in a leader for OHSU to succeed in its statewide mission. Finally we ask all of the OHSU Board members to visit our clinics, hospitals, schools, and research centers so they can see and hear firsthand what it means to be an employee, a student, and a patient here.

AFSCME, ONA, and all of OHSU labor have always and will always strive to work with OHSU Leadership and its Board of Directors. We will continue to collaborate and find solutions that take care of our members and patients, and that help raise all of OHSU up so we can continue to serve the people of Oregon. We hope these choices are not the shape of things to come but in the event it is; we know our worth and will fight for the respect and dignity we deserve."