Eugene’s CAHOOTS program for crisis intervention has received national praise as a model for combining social services and policing. Hoping for better pay, benefits and safeguards from exhaustion and burnout, CAHOOTS workers filed a petition on Aug. 17 to join a union.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 206 union, on behalf of CAHOOTS, filed for a representation election with the National Labor Relations Board. If the vote on Sept. 29 passes, workers from both CAHOOTS and Helping Out Our Teens — a sister program for teenagers in crisis — would become members of the union. They could then take part in contract bargaining with their employer, assisted by their union.

White Bird Clinic offers medical, dental and mental health support to people who otherwise face barriers accessing health care. The non-profit clinic opened in 1970 and launched CAHOOTS in 1989. White Bird operates both CAHOOTS and HOOTS as part of its crisis response services.

After CAHOOTS filed the petition, other White Bird employees heard the news indirectly; some even learned about it through clients.

One employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions at work, said both sides are staying quiet throughout the process; the non-CAHOOTS employees, he said, “are in the dark as much as anyone.”

CAHOOTS and HOOTS filed the petition, the employee said, without involving other coworkers. The workers reached out after the announcement, he added, to “empower” other departments to unionize, too.

CAHOOTS and the city

Teams of two — a medic and a crisis responder — staff CAHOOTS vans. They respond to calls made to non-emergency police lines and provide help during crises.

Last month, the Springfield Police Department said CAHOOTS helped an armed man through a suicidal episode. After talking with CAHOOTS and the police negotiator, he allowed CAHOOTS to transport him for treatment.

The most common categories of calls that CAHOOTS responds to, according to the Eugene Police Crime Analysis Unit, are public assistance, welfare checks and transportation.

In 2014, CAHOOTS was dispatched and arrived at 9,646 calls for service. By 2021, that number increased to 16,479. The Crime Analysis Unit also reports that calls for CAHOOTS increased by 8% in 2021, though not every call requires a response.

The CAHOOTS service contract between the city of Eugene and White Bird was most recently signed in 2019 and lasts through June 30, 2023. Eugene’s City Manager, not City Council, negotiated the contract with White Bird, said Council President Jennifer Yeh in an email. But, she said, the council does “provide the funding needed through the budget process.”

Unionizing

All 43 CAHOOTS and HOOTS workers signed authorization cards that signal they want to be part of a union. The NLRB sent out secret ballots to eligible employees on Sept. 8; Teamsters will need at least 50% support to be certified.

The lawyer representing Teamsters, Caren Sencer, said White Bird did not hinder the voting process. In union petitions, lawyers file the petitions, complete paperwork, and negotiate the election agreement defining the election timeline and format as well as who can vote. Sencer said there was “little disagreement” between sides during the negotiation period.

The union will now encourage all eligible workers to vote, said Leonard Stoehr, a Teamsters union representative. A higher turnout in favor of unionizing, he said, implies “more of a mandate.” After multiple requests for an interview, CAHOOTS workers said they have chosen to not speak with the media now for fear of jeopardizing votes in the election. White Bird leadership has not responded to requests for comments.

Although unanimous initial support is unusual, Stoehr said, it does not guarantee the vote will be in favor of unionizing. “I’m certainly hoping that the 43 cards are going to be a predictor of the way the vote is going to go,” he said, “but I always hesitate to jump to that conclusion.”

The CAHOOTS workers, Stoehr said, want higher wages and “protection against overwork and burnout” in their contract if they unionize. These protections would be purposely expensive for White Bird, encouraging them to hire more staff members.

Increasing pay and hiring more medics and crisis workers could cause budget challenges for White Bird.

Some funding for CAHOOTS is from the federal government and private donations. Other funding comes from Lane County and the city councils of Eugene and Springfield. Therefore, the contracts they have signed, Stoehr said, will “have a direct effect on the amount that White Bird will be able to pay CAHOOTS members.”

Next steps

If workers vote to unionize, Sencer may help with negotiations between the employer and union. The best-case scenario for negotiations, Sencer said, would not involve lawyers at all.

“It’s going to be their contract, and they’re the ones who are going to have to live under it,” she said. “And so it’s best when the people who are directly affected are most heavily involved in that process.”

Employees’ ballots must arrive at the NLRB office by 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29, when officials will count the votes and release the results. If workers unionize, Teamsters and White Bird will start contract negotiations.