OHSU employees continue bargaining efforts amidst 142 layoffs in first wave of job cuts

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Oregon Health and Science University revealed they will be laying off 142 employees in the first wave of layoffs in its annual renewal process.

The layoffs announcement comes after OHSU and Legacy Health signed a merger agreement last month. OHSU will essentially absorb Legacy at the cost of about $1 billion. The merger is still waiting on regulatory approval.

Last week OHSU informed its staff that they would be laying off 500 or more people in the next 90 days.

The decision has prompted nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association to strike at six different Providence hospitals next week. With nearly 19,000 employees, OHSU is ranked as the Portland Metro area’s third largest employer, heavily impacting a large portion of the community.

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“Some of these affected positions not being renewed are represented by a union, AFSCME Council 75, that is actively in bargaining, but there are no company or contractual provisions for transfer, bumping or reassignment which apply to these positions,” according to a WARN notice from Connie Seeley, OHSU executive vice-president.

AFSCME Council 75 is a member-driven union representing more than 25,000 workers in Oregon including OHSU employees previously. Back in April over 2,000 OHSU research workers filed for union representation with the council.

“We organized our union in order to raise standards in our industry so that our jobs can be seen as stable careers and not just ‘stepping stones’. Up until now we haven’t been listened to, but now with our union, we’re stronger together”, said Madeline Hedberg, a researcher in the OHSU Department of Surgery.

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