AURN Bargaining Session on Economics
2026-05-13
By Raven Winters, RN, BSN, CNOR (writing on her own behalf only)
Unionized nurses from the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) met with management today in an open-bargaining session with over 100 members observing to propose their powerful economics package, including cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increases for each year of a two-year contract at 11.25% increases each year, with comparisons to similar academic level-1 trauma centers providing a strong argument for the other contract language that the Association of University Registered Nurses (AURN) believes are priorities: retention differentials, the right to strike if benefits are decreased, switching to fully percentage-based differentials, aligning language with other unions at OHSU, increasing standby call-pay to 50% of straight pay, no mandatory curtailment of hours, reinstatement of 12% retirement matching, and the ability to switch between the state of Oregon's Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), and the University Pension Plan (UPP) among many other changes. The AURN bargaining team usually releases a video and a substantive bargaining update in a newsletter within the day which will cover more details. You can follow them on Instagram @aurnursesofona.
The economics presentation, led by ONA labor representative Michael Koehler returned to themes from last bargaining cycle in which nurses at OHSU are compared to their colleagues in a similar size city with similar economics. Housing was a major factor in the presentation: "we are more expensive that Sacremento when it comes to housing stock," Koehler said. Nurses who have worked 10 years at UC Davis on the wage scale currently earn $92.56/hr, compared to AURN which makes $73.79/hr at the Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) rate. Koelher also pointed out that execs at UC Davis make less than their OHSU counterparts and that the bargaining team thinks this is a "misplaced priority" for management. The last reported salary for the chief nursing executive (CNE) Brooke Baldwin was $654,808.
Lead negotiator Brian Howard spoke on the importance of recognizing Juneteenth as an actual holiday instead of the contract's current language which assigns Juneteenth as a "floating" holiday. "We want to avoid anything performative around Juneteenth. It's a holiday. Period." Howard said.
Bargaining Team member and Treasurer Corinn Joseph spoke on the importance of standby call pay, especially when it involves childcare costs as the call rate "needs to be able to cover the cost of having the person at your house," Joseph said. Nurses at OHSU would receive half the rate of their straight pay for being on call if this language were to be ratified in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The bargaining team also introduced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the usage of AI at OHSU that: defines what AURN means by the term "AI", allows for generative AI to enhance work of nurses to minimize busy work, guards against privacy issues with AI tools, and states that "generative AI does not replace nurses' judgement, critical thinking or assessment skills".
The numbers and language proposed by AURN today:
- contract-length: 2 years
- increase wage scale steps from 30 to 35
- cost of living adjustment of 11.25% each year of the contract
- retention differential that kicks in at 10 years of being at OHSU, starting at 6% with increases of 2% every 5 years
- evening shift differential: 7%
- night shift differential: 18%
- weekend shift differential: 10%
- charge nurse differential: 12%
- surgical services coordinator differential: 12%
- preceptor differential: 12%
- bilingual differential: 6.5%
- float pool differential: 20%
- floating differential: 7%
- ambulatory floating differential: 7%
- call pay on standby: 50% of straight pay
- finish procedure bonus: $200
- mandatory curtailment hours: 0 (eliminates mandatory curtailment)
- nurses will no longer be able to waive CNI to skip the line to get assigned the CNI shift
- elimination of 2-tiered system for retirement benefits: nurses will all get up to 12% match for retirement
- healthcare benefits will not be cut for the life of the contract: "we don't think health insurance is a benefit if you can't access it," Koehler said.
- Critical Need Incentive (CNI) pay will apply for 2 or more hours worked in ambulatory units
- the compensatory bank hours (comp-bank), in which nurses can opt to convert hours from call-pay or CNI into extra vacation pay, will no longer have a limit
- education about retirement plans will be required
- will be able to switch between PERS and UPP during open enrollment
- nurses will be able strike (the no-strikes, no lockouts provision will be waived) if retirement benefits are decreased
- OHSU will cover 100% of PPO health plan (includes dental and vision)
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