A unit of about 250 postdoctoral researchers represented by Oregon AFSCME on July 11 announced an impasse in bargaining over a first contract with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). The two sides have been negotiating since September 2023. OHSU has refused to offer raises of any amount, saying that the researchers already paid according to a federal formula for projects funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Once the two sides submitted formal final offers on July 12, a 30-day cooling off period began. After that, under Oregon’s public employee collective bargaining law, the postdoctoral researchers could strike.
The two sides agree that OHSU should provide a 100% employer-paid premium for employee health, dental, and vision plans and 88% for dependents, plus 10 paid holidays, up to 12 paid sick days, and three weeks paid vacation.
But they’re far apart on wages. In its final offer, AFSCME proposed: a salary scale with a starting pay of $70,000 to $80,000, with 3% step increases up to seven years, and 5% annual cost-of-living increases. OHSU proposes to stick to the minimum salary formula set by the federal agencies funding the research grants — currently $61,008 to $74,088, depending on experience.
