Wages | - Annual raise determined by employer with no input from employees or managers beyond GROW process.
- No guaranteed raise
| - Across the board increases:
- Year 1: 5.5% to 4% Progressive ATB or $1.25/hour, whichever is higher. Minimum wage of $23.18/hour
- Effective 2nd pay period after ratification
- Year 2: 3.25% ATB or $1/hour, whichever is higher, minimum wage of $23.84/hour
- Effective October 1, 2026
- Year 3: 3% ATB or $1/hour, whichever is higher, minimum wage of $24.09/hour
- Effective October 1, 2027
- 5% Differential Pay for bilingual researchers
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Insurance | - 88% coverage for dependents on all plans, except high deductible plan, which has >97% coverage for dependents.
- Domestic partners not guaranteed to be covered - OHSU tried to take this away last year
- Limited tier 1 options for employees outside of the Portland metro area.
| - 100% coverage for dependents on EPO plan
- Domestic partners guaranteed to be covered
- Making improvements to existing Aetna national health plan to address access and administrative burdens for remote workers
- National plan with Tier 1 options by Jan 1, 2027
- By June 1, 2026, OHSU will convert 100 clinics in Oregon outside of Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties and a hospital in Lane County to Tier 1 under the PPO plan.
- Mandatory coverages:
- Pregnancy ending care and
- Gender-affirming care, treatment, and procedures.
- Addition of open enrollment period to allow change to EPO plan (after ratification).
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Job Security These are in effect as of 5/7/25 through MOU | - Annual contracts – any researcher could be terminated on June 30th for any reason
- Not automatically eligible for unemployment insurance
- No preferential re-hiring of laid off researchers
| - We are permanent employees – no more annual contracts!
- 60 day notice of layoff required.
- Eligible for unemployment insurance if laid off
- Preferential hiring list to ensure laid off researchers get first shot at eligible position
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Reclassification | - Only manager can initiate reclassification
- No guaranteed raise
| - Splitting reclassifications into:
- Promotions - prospective change upward through series
- Employee or Manager can submit request
- 4% minimum raise
- Temporary work out of class pay (4% above current salary)
- Reclassifications - any other change of classification, employee or manager submits requests. If reclassification to a higher job grade, 3% minimum raise, if reclassification is upward in series, 4% minimum raise.
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Paid Time Off | - Cash out 80 hours PTO at 50% when leaving OHSU
- Access EIB after 40 hours PTS
- 5 days UNPAID bereavement leave
| - Cash out 40 hours of PTO at 100% salary when leaving OHSU
- Reinstatement of accruals (PTO/EIB) after separation from employment
- Access EIB after 24 hours of PTS
- 3 days PAID bereavement leave per year
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Hours of Work | | - Premium pay for non-exempt employees when working on designated holiday and when called back to the worksite with short notice.
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International Affairs | | - Employer has to pay for visa costs and if there are any changes in policy that increase the costs for employees, they would have to bargain with us.
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Hardship Fund | | - $50K each year to help members facing food, housing, or childcare insecurity
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Retirement | - Hired pre-July 1, 2017: 12%
- Hired post-July 1, 2017: 6% employer, up to 6% match
| - Ensures status quo levels of benefits, including for employees hired before July 1, 2017.
- Adds pre-retirement counseling
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Career Development | - No universal career development policy. Left to departments/ institutes. Inequitable across OHSU
| - 16 hours of dedicated career development time each year
- Counseling on how to progress in your classification series
- Paid time for licensure and certification at discretion of department (ensuring that members who currently have access to this will continue to have access)
- Time spent at PI approved educational or training function is paid time, without using the career development hours
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Discipline | - OHSU HR issues final decisions in disputes, without policies specific to researchers
| - Clear procedures for addressing violations of our union contract, once ratified
- RWU members have right to union representation at all stages of grievance procedure
- Right to appeal to neutral 3rd party arbitrator as final decision maker
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Health & Safety | - OHSU unilaterally set and enforced health and safety standards.
| - Protections for working with dangerous materials
- Protections for researchers who refuse to perform unsafe work
- No employee will be asked to pay out of pocket costs for exposure to serious communicable disease
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Who can be in the Union? | - Not all Research Workers were included as bargaining unit members when the union was certified in May 2024
| - Staff Scientists, Research Project Managers are in our union!
- No “supervisors” have been excluded from union so far
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Non- Discrimination | - Existing reporting systems are understaffed, tilted in favor of managers.
| - Non-discrimination article ensures that a researcher can file a grievance through the union in addition to existing avenues at OHSU if they experience discrimination, harassment or bullying.
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