SALEM, Oregon – Laura McCay, Jacqueline McGinnis-Feazle and Diane Wyss are all members of Oregon AFSCME, but that’s not the only thing they have in common. They’ve all experienced workplace safety breakdowns firsthand.
McKay, who works for Lane County Waste Management, has been threatened and harassed by people at far-off waste transfer stations. They were emboldened by the absence of cameras, security and even basic necessities like locking doors.
McGinnis-Feazle, a mental health aide at Cascadia Health, worries about safe staffing levels when working with more than 50 clients at a time. A co-worker, Haley Rogers, was killed on the job in 2023 when working alone at night. Cascadia Health provides behavioral health services and affordable housing to people of all ages.
Wyss, a registered nurse, was punched in the head by an Oregon State Hospital patient. Wyss says short-staffing is a major problem that makes workers in her psychiatric facility unsafe.
Their stories were included in a workplace safety report — “Unsafe on the Job” — that Oregon AFSCME released this month.
Based on member survey results, the report shows that understaffing, extreme overtime and a lack of safety protocols are creating untenable situations in workplaces throughout the state. The union released the report as more than 100 members came to the state Capitol in Salem to share their stories and call for action.
The survey of more than 520 AFSCME members showed:
- 67% of members report some sort of physical violence, threat, trauma;
- 65% report verbal abuse;
- 36% report threats of harm;
- 28% report trauma leading to post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Additionally, nearly half of Oregon AFSCME members do not feel safe at work and 45% say there isn’t enough staff on a daily basis.
AFSCME members are employed at a variety of workplaces, including the Oregon State Hospital, the Department of Corrections, the Stabilization and Crisis Unit of the Oregon Department of Human Services, OHSU, local and city governments and nonprofit behavioral health centers.
Members of Oregon AFSCME want legislators to pass a package of workplace safety policies and invest more in safety and staffing in the behavioral health system, across state agencies and at hospitals. They also want lawmakers to strengthen the state’s worker’s compensation program.
“Every day our members go to work facing very real threats on the job because workforce shortages and the inability to recruit and retain staff is not keeping up with the realities of today,” said Joe Baessler, executive director of Oregon AFSCME. “The levels of threats and injuries our members are facing are completely unacceptable and we are calling on the legislature to take action to make workplaces safer for workers and the people under their care.”