To the Resident Physicians of Oregon Health and Sciences University,

We are glad to hear that you just became AFSCME union physicians!Congratulations! We are the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association (PNWHMA) in the Eugene-Springfield area, under the umbrella of the AFT union. We hope you will enjoy many of the same improvements we have had from joining a union.

We formed our union in 2014 in response to a threat to outsource our group to a third party hospitalist company. In addition to avoiding outsourcing and achieving job security, we have also continued to improve patient safety and stabilize working conditions, which includes a higher retention rate of our quality physicians.

Since we joined, we have seen the following improvements:

• Job security
• Formation of committees to address proposed changes in workflow and workload (instead of changes being dictated by administration)
• Higher group morale
• Lower physician turnover

We admire your effort, especially since you were able to accomplish this while in demanding residency programs. We know you will be glad to be united.

Best Wishes,

PNWHMA, Local 6552, AFT, AFL-CIO

President: Joshua Plank, MD
Vice President: Mollie Skov-Ortega, MD
Secretary: Kathleen Sullivan, MD
Treasurer: Melissa Duart, MD