Ready to build a better future at OHSU? Want to help us fight for a better contract in 2023? Here are some ways you can help support your union and peers! 

Fill out the bargaining survey: Bargaining is coming up, so it's time to set our priorities for the next contract! Please take the time to tell us what matters most to you. You don't want your next contract to be determined by only a few people!! Link here:  https://forms.gle/woceVN6Myz3ahzUC8

Bargaining Team: As you may have heard, our contract is up in June 2023 which means it is almost time to bargain the next contract! If you are passionate about  increasing stipends and benefits for graduate researchers, then consider joining the Bargaining Team! This group of 4-6 graduate researchers will draft proposals for the new contract (with support from AFSCME and other union members) and negotiate directly with the OHSU bargaining team. This is a great chance to make a positive impact for current and future graduate students and to gain policy experience along the way! If this sounds interesting to you, please email [email protected].

Become a Steward: We are recruiting stewards for the 2022-2023 academic year! What is a steward you might ask? Essentially you’re a union representative, and act to help support our members in understanding their rights and contract. The specifics entail helping our members with questions about the contract, filing grievances if the contract is violated, and representing the union at certain meetings. This is a great way to help support GRU and our bargaining unit! A strong steward network is a huge part of a strong union. If you have questions or would like to become a steward please email [email protected].

MAT team: Ever wonder what your union is up to? The Membership Action Team (MAT) may be for you! Members of the MAT help to keep the bargaining unit (all graduate researchers) informed on union news, activities, and events. The MAT also collects feedback and reports this back to the Executive Board or Bargaining Team (union leadership). This helps promote communication between union leadership and the bargaining unit and will help keep the lines of communication open during the bargaining process. Time commitment includes bi-weekly meetings with union leadership, email communication with members of the bargaining unit, and answering questions from the bargaining unit. We are looking for about 20 union members from various programs to help us keep everyone informed! If you are interested, please email [email protected].

External Positions: Want to represent your fellow graduate students on other OHSU committees? There are two GRU spots available on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Safety Committee. This Committee makes safety policy recommendations, implements and provide oversight for those policies, and helps resolve health and safety issues that come up at OHSU. The time commitment is roughly two hours per month, including a monthly meeting and reviewing accident summaries. You can also observe these meetings as a guest to see what the Committee is all about. If you’re interested, please email [email protected] or [email protected].

Additionally, the Research Training Conditions Committee (RTCC) is recruiting PhD students in the School of Public Health or School of Nursing. The purpose of the RTCC is to hear and address concerns from Graduate Researchers regarding academic issues, such as working hours, mentorship issues, or job expectations. The RTCC makes recommendations to the Office of the Provost to address specific concerns raised by Graduate Researchers. The committee meets once per month, and representatives are appointed to one-year terms. If you’re interested, please email [email protected] or [email protected].

The Information Privacy and Security Office (OIPS) is looking for an HOU or GRU member volunteer representative to join the Information Privacy and Security Steering Committee (IPSSC). IPSSC provides feedback on strategies and initiatives undertaken by the Information Privacy and Security Office. The Information Privacy and Security Office ensures OHSU appropriately protects the confidentiality, availability and integrity of all OHSU information. Activities include: incident investigation; privacy rights management; policy generation, implementation and clarification; institution wide privacy and security training, including phishing exercises and training; computer system security assessments; and management of information security exception requests. The committee meets monthly for one hour and includes a wide range of representatives from across the university. We are seeking to expand the committee to include voices that otherwise have not had the opportunity to weigh in on our information and security strategies at this level.

If you are interested in learning more about the committee or what a commitment to join may look like, please reach out to OIPS at [email protected].

Political Activism: It's election season! Are you interested in helping support labor-friendly candidates who are running for office in Multnomah County and around the state? AFSCME has organized a number of events to help you get plugged in. You can join other AFSCME members doing in-person canvassing by signing up here: https://forms.gle/i7hs2bD8qRDa9SLo9 The statewide canvassing kickoff event is this Saturday, October 1, so this is a great opportunity to meet other AFSCME members from your community, show solidarity, and make sure that Oregon remains a union-friendly state. Don't feel comfortable knocking on doors? We get it, there's still a a pandemic going on. You can also take part in virtual phone banks, happening Monday through Thursday from 5:30-8:00pm for the next few weeks. We're making calls to other AFSCME members through an online phone banking platform, so you don't even have to use your own phone. You can sign up for to help with that here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0Y2zZ11YpaKIHz_xmjtXWZ2hJQwQZIcTQUScrPNNXq9eMVg/viewform?pli=1&pli=1 When you sign up for one of these activities, you'll get an email with more details.

This year's midterms are very important, and we hope you can join us in participating.

And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out through our contact form or at [email protected].