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A nascent research workers union at Oregon Health & Science University says it will strike Feb. 18 if it doesn’t reach a labor deal by then with management.
Representing 1,700 workers, OHSU Researcher Workers United has been negotiating with OHSU since September 2024. Formed the prior spring, it’s the youngest of OHSU’s new wave of labor unions tied to American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees—and the last without a contract.
Other labor groups have threatened strikes at OHSU in recent months, only to settle contracts before any work stoppage ultimately occurred. And the union and management still have multiple bargaining sessions set before the strike date.
“We remain optimistic that we can reach an agreement before Feb. 18 to avoid a work stoppage,” OHSU said in a statement, adding that it would continue to work toward an agreement would honor research workers and resolve the differences that remain, while also “ensuring that our grants can support the research being done and OHSU is financially sustainable for generations to come.”
The statement also said OHSU is “prepared to continue operating and serving the community in all scenarios, including if a strike is declared.”
Pay and related matters appear to be the sticking point. Currently a union spokesman says, the lowest paid workers in the union make about $19 per hour, and 30% of members make less than $27—a figure, the union points out, which MIT researchers say is the living wage in Portland.
The union says it has proposed a minimum wage of $22—which would rise to $24 in the contract’s final year, and a minimum of 5-6% across the board annual wage increases. It says OHSU countered by offering a minimum wage of $23—which would rise to $24 in the contract’s final year, and a minimum of 3-4% across the board annual wage increases.
“This is simply not an offer we as a bargaining team can recommend to our members for ratification, nor is it one we believe our members would willingly ratify,” said a statement from Anna Levy, a bargaining team member who works as a biostatistician at OHSU.
Other labor groups have threatened strikes at OHSU, Portland’s largest employer, in recent months, only to settle contracts before any work stoppage ultimately occurred. And the union and management have multiple bargaining sessions set before the strike date.
“We remain optimistic that we can reach an agreement before Feb. 18 to avoid a work stoppage,” OHSU said in a statement. It added, “OHSU’s leadership and bargaining teams will continue working to reach an agreement that honors our dedicated research workers and resolves the differences that remain, while also ensuring that our grants can support the research being done and OHSU is financially sustainable for generations to come.”
It added that it is “prepared to continue operating and serving the community in all scenarios, including if a strike is declared.”
