After months of organizing, grievance work, and preparation for arbitration, OFNHP tech members at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center have secured a major victory, for our members and for PeaceHealth, protecting step progression rights under the contract.
The settlement resolves both an individual grievance and a broader class action grievance filed by the union after PeaceHealth changed employees’ step progression dates when workers transferred into new positions within the bargaining unit. According to the agreement, the employer will now restore affected employees’ original step dates, issue retroactive pay, and review whether additional workers were impacted.
The issue centered around Article 14.2 of the contract. OFNHP argued that employees transferring within the bargaining unit should not lose their original step progression dates simply because they moved into another union position. When PeaceHealth altered those dates, it effectively delayed wage progression for impacted workers.
The settlement specifically names five affected employees who will receive retroactive payments reflecting lost wages and benefits.
Just as importantly, the agreement requires PeaceHealth to meet with the union and review whether other bargaining unit employees were similarly affected. If additional workers are identified, they must also receive corrected step dates and retroactive compensation.
The agreement also establishes an important protection moving forward. For the remainder of the current contract, PeaceHealth agreed not to continue changing employees’ step dates after transfers and instead acknowledged that any dispute over interpretation would need to be addressed through bargaining.
This victory did not happen automatically. It happened because workers paid attention, spoke up, documented problems, filed grievances, and stood together long enough to force accountability.
Every contract right only exists if workers are willing to enforce it. This settlement is a reminder that grievance procedures matter, union contracts matter, and collective action works.
When union members stand together and push back against contract violations, they protect not only themselves, but everyone who comes after them.