Will Not Cross Picketlines To Deliver To OHSU
PORTLAND, OR - With a looming strike 24 hours away, the Oregon Teamsters Joint Council has sanctioned the OHSU postdocs strike, meaning Teamster-represented delivery drivers will not cross picket lines to deliver goods to the OHSU campus.
“We are beyond grateful for the exemplary show of solidarity from Oregon's labor movement as we bargain our first contract” said Paige Arneson-Wissink, PhD, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the study of pancreatic cancer.
After nearly a year at the bargaining table and seeing little progress toward a fair wage, the roughly 250 postdoctoral researchers provided OHSU with the necessary 10 day-notice on Monday, August 5th - that unless OHSU comes forward with a realistic wage proposal, postdocs will go on strike on Thursday, August 15th at 9am.
The Teamsters Joint Council, representing roughly 28,000 workers across Oregon, Southern Washington, and Western Idaho, voted to sanction the postdocs’ strike and instruct members not to cross picket lines at OHSU during the strike.
“Oregon workers are united like never before. Between the outpouring of support from our sibling unions we expect on the strike line, to the Teamsters’ sanction and support from Oregon AFSCME’s nearly 40,000 represented workers, the postdocs have the power to demand a living wage” said Oregon AFSCME Executive Director Joe Baessler.
On top of the sanction, Oregon AFSCME has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against OHSU for sending emails that the union alleges are an attempt to intimidate international workers by threatening their visa status. The email also asks postdocs to “check in” with their supervisor to let them know they are on strike, which is considered polling, and illegal.
Salary disparities at OHSU are extreme, with some executives earning in two weeks what the postdocs receive annually. OHSU has so far only offered wage increases that hinge on the National Institutes of Health salary scales that have historically held Postdocs at minimum wages well below the rates of inflation. This minimum does not meet the cost of living in Oregon or industry standards. The University of Washington pays a minimum salary that is $10,000 higher than the minimum offered to OHSU researchers.
Postdocs have one final mediation session, today, Wednesday, August 14th in an attempt to settle the contract before the Thursday 9am deadline at which point the postdocs will walk off the job and join the strike line.
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