TL;DR
Please share your stories about living in Portland on an OHSU salary
Send your stories to your union secretary, Aly Dubrovsky (Psychiatry) at [email protected]
Let us know whether we may include your name (anonymous is okay too!), and whether your story may be shared at the bargaining table and/or with the general public
Friday evening we met again with OHSU representatives including HR, faculty and administrative staff representing GME, and OHSU’s outside counsel. They countered our proposed salary increase of 12% with a proposed salary increase of 7%.
We appreciate, with this offer, OHSU’s demonstrated agreement that this is an issue to be bargained, and their movement in the direction of more appropriate compensation for house officers. OHSU indicated it is important for HOU’s increase to be in keeping with other recent salary increases, particularly the 7% increase agreed to by OHSU and AFSCME Local 328 (which represents over 7000 hospital employees). We agree with this basic premise and applaud our colleagues in Local 328 for securing a strong contract for their members. In addition to a 7% salary increase, Local 328 secured a 3x increase in their weekend differential (a benefit house officers do not have) and a lump sum ratification bonus.
Hearing the stories of those HOU represents, we know 7% alone is not enough to make up for how far we’ve fallen behind with the last couple years of inflation and the particularly high cost of living in Portland. In keeping with the spirit of Local 328’s recently secured contract, we proposed a 7% salary increase plus a lump sum payment in the form of a modest ratification bonus and increase in our housing stipend. This allows OHSU to maintain parity with Local 328’s contract, and recognizes how hard inflation and costs such as housing in Portland pinch our members.
OHSU is considering their options and will be in contact early next week. In the meantime, we want to keep hearing from our members about their experiences living in Portland as a resident or fellow physician on an OHSU salary. Please share these with your union secretary, Aly Dubrovsky, at [email protected]. It’s essential for OHSU representatives to understand that their decisions have a serious impact on the lived experiences of our members and their families, including our ability to focus on the service and training we came here for. Our proposal gives OHSU the opportunity to look our members in the eye and say they support our dignity.
In solidarity,
Colin Bartz-Overman, Internal Medicine, PGY-2
Michelle Beam, Internal Medicine, PGY-3
Aly Dubrovsky, Psychiatry, PGY-3
Xiao-Yue Han, General Surgery, PGY-5
Alex Mechler-Hickson, Pediatrics, PGY-2
Doug Preston, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, PGY-2
Ben Smith, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, PGY-3
Damon Di Cicco, AFSCME Representative
