Our Respiratory Therapists at Kaiser Permanente have been fighting to fix their short staffing crisis by getting market adjustments to address the historically low wages. On October 29th, a number of RTs along with leaders and stewards in the Tech unit met with Human Resources to read a letter and make their demands clear: we need to bring RT wages up to those in other areas covered by the Alliance agreement that have similar costs of living. After telling these members that they would return with a response, Kaiser said it had "no interest" in bargaining over these wages. This answer is

On November 9th, the Social Committee will be hosting our annual Unity Night at The Aerie at Eagle Landing (10220 SE Causey Ave, Happy Valley) where we will be having a Casino Night, appetizers, and a 50/50 raffle! Food will be provided and an optional cash bar will be available, so show up as you are, invite a friend or family member, and let's make this a night to remember! Our OFNHP colors are red, so wear red and show your union pride! We will be collecting unwrapped children's gifts for Presents from Partners to be distributed this holiday season.

The White House has recently announced that an additional $4.5 billion in student loan debt relief is available that will affect about 60,000 workers across the country. They are accomplishing this massive feat by updating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, bringing the total amount of debt foregiveness to over $175 billion for nearly five million people. But if we consider the PSLF then that number climes by an astounding $74 billion for a million of us. 

Many of our members are eligible to student debt relief with the PSLF, which provides debt relief after a set period of

Nearly 200 employees from the Technical bargaining unit at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon ratified their next union contract that will establish conditions for workers and ensure continuity of care in Bend. 100% of those workers who voted chose to ratify this contract, signifying a universal level of support for the agreement. These healthcare workers, who are members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP, AFT Local 5017), were fighting over issues like living wages and a voice on the job.

"The ratification of our new contract is a positive step forward

During yesterday’s negotiations with Labcorp we offered a framework for addressing the downsizing at Central Lab. Our primary objective is for everyone impacted by these changes to be offered an equivalent position, on the same shift and with the same pay.

Our proposal is intended to ensure that our members do not have to apply for positions and would be offered positions at OFNHP-represented locations, as well as at Halsey, based on seniority. We also affirmed our position on severance for those employees who do not secure one of these equivalent positions or choose to accept alternative

The 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) was held in Chicago, Illinois, a historic center of the labor movement in the United States. The Oregon Delegation, consisting of 78 members, included 20 union representatives from 13 different unions, many affiliated with the Oregon AFL-CIO. Among the delegates was our very own OFNHP AFT 5017 member April Milan, a Physical Therapist at Sunnyside Medical Center and active member of our PEAC. 

When not attending the convention’s remarkable speeches from Democratic leaders, Oregon delegates engaged in organizing efforts with prominent figures such as

As many of you have noticed, we launched our bargaining surveys this week.. Our bargaining surveys are a tool for us to find out what is most important to you in this new contract so that our bargaining teams, both locally and nationally, can prioritize the interests and demands.. Over the next several weeks we will be talking with members about the importance of these surveys, what opportunities there are to get more involved in this campaign, and what it takes to win.

We are also taking part in an action to help raise the profile of our work. All across the Alliance of Healthcare Unions

We are so excited to share the news that we have come to a tentative agreement (TA) with the employer for our new collective bargaining agreement!

After months of tough negotiations and escalating collective action—including most recently our informational picket at the hospital—we've finally made the improvements we need in our work and compensation, including:

• A step and grade compensation structure so we know our annual wage increases year after year;

• Increased night shift differential;

• Strong successorship language giving us rights in case St Charles is bought by another health system;

• Fair