Your bargaining team (Bteam) met with OHSU on Tuesday December 5th for our 7th session. The support from unit members in the room and on webex was amazing. The Bteam felt that the presence of so many Postdocs at the bargaining session made OHSU consider their questions and responses in a way that we had not seen in previous sessions. As your Bteam prepares for the next session on December 19 the final session to propose new articles and the last session of the year -we invite you to listen in and show solidarity with your fellow postdocs as your bargaining team proposes key contract language on wages and benefits.
Below is a summary of the articles our union proposed/countered on 12/5:
Holidays, Paid Time Off and Leaves of Absence (proposal) – Article discussing acknowledged holidays, the use of paid time off, and compensation for additional time off, covering bereavement, parental, and civic duty leave. *Your Bteam emphasized the importance of observing Juneteenth as a holiday on June 19th, in the same manner all other OHSU holidays are observed. They also proposed paid time off accrual that aligned with faculty paid time off, and sought to codify eligibility for the important benefits offered through Paid Leave Oregon, within the limits of the statute. Although OHSU has yet to counter this proposal, they did ask clarifying questions such as “how would taking 240 hours of vacation impact the work of a postdoc.”*
International Affairs (proposal): This article holds significance as it addresses critical aspects of employment conditions for international postdocs, encompassing visa selection, duration, tax treaties, and the implementation of adjustments specific to their unique circumstances.
Contract Training Memorandum of Understanding (proposal): Similar to the verbiage presented by Graduate Researchers United, this proposal advocates for the training of advisors, supervisors, administrators, and postdocs about the terms of the contract upon contract ratification with OHSU.
- Layoffs (counter): Two proposed changes were made. Firstly, adjusting the notice period from 60 days to 90 days, in alignment with the language agreed upon in the Appointments and Reappointments article. Secondly, requiring that a statement about the unavailability of funding will be documented in the postdoc's personnel file. *Your Bteam felt it was important to add protection for laid off postdocs by ensuring the official record would reflect that their loss of employment was due to loss of PI funding to support them, and facilitate new employment.*
OHSU countered:
Career Development (counter) – OHSU has put forward a proposal for the implementation of only 5 career development days, which would not require the use of personal leave. This suggestion is contingent on supervisors having the discretion to grant additional days. This stands in contrast to our proposal of 15 days. *Your Bteam raised points that not all advisors value career development equally and setting a floor of 5 protected days, as countered by OHSU, will inevitably reinforce inequities amongst postdocs with respect to career development.*
Appointments and Reappointments (counter): OHSU has proposed a change in the language regarding access to email and digital information in cases of exceptions. OHSU also struck language regarding information upon hiring about the funding sources that are paying for the postdoc. *Your Bteam reiterated to OHSU that funding source and duration of funding is important for a prospective postdoc to know when they are deciding whether or not to accept a position.*
Time and Effort Commitment (counter): OHSU has expressed reservations about our proposal, which aims to protect postdocs from being forced to work beyond the 40-hour average stipulated by the NIH. According to OHSU, this approach may not be the most suitable way to address the issue, and they suggest alternative avenues, such as discussing with the advisor directly or filing a report with human resources. *Your Bteam raised important points to OHSU, including that the power dynamic between postdoc and advisor does not accommodate an equitable discussion about hours worked, that advisors are known to use hours worked as a contingency for a letter of recommendation, and that OHSU’s proposed language does not provide any guardrails for postdocs in exploitative situations.*
Your team has not yet accepted the counter-offer presented by the OHSU management team in relation to the Time and Effort article. Your team remains dedicated to establishing fair and equitable working conditions for all postdocs. Specifically, your team aims to shield postdocs from overwork without the concern of encountering power imbalances with their supervisors. There are in-person and virtual options to observe our last session of the year on 12/19.
In solidarity,
The PWU Bargaining Team
