A year of negotiations, a hard-fought new contract for 8,000 OHSU workers

[Omaha Steve]

https://www.afscme.org/blog/a-year-of-negotiations-a-hard-fought-new-contract-for-8000-ohsu-workers

By AFSCME Staff · Monday, February 02, 2026

The 8,000 AFSCME-represented workers who keep Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) running knew what they were up against as they dug in to negotiate their new contract.

Their employer had been crying wolf for a long time, claiming they didn’t have money to give their workers the wage increases they deserved — despite the institution’s huge increases in revenue and net worth.

But as the White House made drastic cuts to higher education and research funding at the beginning of 2025, the Portland-based research institution and teaching hospital faced real financial challenges as well. The uncertainty, management told leaders of Local 328 (AFSCME Oregon), was real.

However, the workers who keep OHSU running — pharmacists, front-line health care providers, scientists, administrative staff and more — knew their value and were ready.

FULL story at link above.