Bargaining update 09.02.2026

Establishing Care, Insurance, and Health Care

Top 3 notable changes

• 2.3.5 Establishing care for House Officers during orientation
• 6.X.1 Mandatory coverage of abortion and gender affirming care
• 6.X.2 Proposal of Fertility Preservation and Infertility Services

Dear House Officers,

We hope this email finds you well. On Wednesday September 2, 2026, our bargaining team met with OHSU management for the fifth session of this negotiation cycle. OHSU began with a presentation from Joyce Hollander, the associate dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME). The most noteworthy articles discussed were union provisions and insurance and healthcare.

Joyce Hollander gave a background presentation on healthcare access for House Officers. Since 2023, GME has been working to improve primary care access for House Officers. All incoming House Officers are provided a flyer with information on how to access care prior to onboarding, and it can be found on O2 and the well-being toolkit. Medication refills and specialist referrals are considered urgent needs, and House Officers can schedule an appointment with the first available provider. Additionally, the resident wellness program has high utilization rates, providing mental health care and access to psychiatrists and psychologists.

The House Officer bargaining team advocated to have protected time for establish care visits during onboarding and orientation in the union provisions article. The team requested that PAS staff be present at orientation and onboarding to schedule appointments. The proposed language also states that OHSU will provide priority scheduling to House Officers so that they have established care within 90 days of starting work.

In the insurance and healthcare article, the House Officer bargaining team proposed two new subarticles on mandatory coverage. The first demands that OHSU provide at least one insurance plan covering abortion care and gender affirming care for House Officers and their domestic partners. The second subarticle demands that OHSU cover fertility preservation and support services, including but not limited to embryo freezing, embryo preservation, sperm banking, and infertility treatments at a rate of up to $30,000 per year for House Officers and their eligible family members.

If you’re interested in attending as an observer or if you have any ideas for any other things you’d like us to get in the contract, let us know! 

In solidarity,

HOU Bargaining Team