Disappointing: Our First Mediation Session Update

Dear Colleagues,

Negotiating our contract during Covid-19 has been rough. As Oregon's cases surge and our frontline staff face repeated exposures, testing, and quarantine, we are all feeling the stress of the season and the year.

Our first mediated session was tense. OHSU presented their facts in a frankly misleading 34-slide presentation before giving us a proposal that was reminiscent of their last proposal in late September. We are frustrated and insulted at their lack of movement towards what we believe should be shared goals for the health and wellbeing of house staff at OHSU.

In the latest proposal, we have been given three (mutually exclusive) choices:

  • Salary Option: prior proposal with .25% salary increase in year 1;
  • Or Housing Option: $1440/yr ($120/ month) in 2020, increasing 3% annually in 2021 and 2022 (no Step III exam fee or equipment fund for PGY1);
  • Or Licensure Option: limited licensure for all years, step III fee, $1100/year stipend for equipment (no housing stipend, etc.);

We're disappointed in these choices, which don't reflect the changes we need to keep OHSU competitive among our ACGME peers, especially on the west coast, to recruit the best residents and promote diversity in Oregon.

This morning we delivered our petition to Dr. Jacobs with nearly 600 signatures, asking for his commitment to specifically address the concerns of women, parents, and underrepresented minorities in medicine by agreeing to what we have previously proposed.

We feel strongly that no resident, current or future, should have to choose their residency program based on their finances and continue to endeavor to bring OHSU into alignment with other west coast institutions.

Stay tuned for updates on our next moves and let us know if you're interested in observing a session by emailing [email protected].

In solidarity,

Doctors Anushka Shenoy, Breanna Jedrzejewski, Heather Buxton, Lana Weber, Mary Storm, Sarah Patel, Silas Cardwell, Simone Dekker, and Xiao-Yue Han