Oregon union leaders and workers said the state needs to put more safeguards in place to protect employees from harm when they work in dangerous jobs in corrections, behavioral health and others.
They are backing several bills they say would help. Senate Bill 24, for example, would set minimum staffing standards for health care workers in prisons and another proposal not yet introduced would limit mandatory overtime for Oregon Department of Human Services workers in group homes. And Senate Bill 606 would broaden workers compensation benefits to automatically cover post-traumatic stress-related conditions for Oregon State Hospital employees and DHS group home workers.
Those proposals are backed up by a survey released Monday by the Oregon American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. It found that two-thirds of more than 500 AFSCME workers who responded had experienced physical violence, threats or injury in their workplace and nearly half – 49% – do not feel safe at work all the time.
The survey, included in a broader report, shared the stories of workers on the job about their experiences in sectors like health care, law enforcement and behavioral health settings like the Oregon State Hospital.
Advertisement
As lawmakers press on with the 2025 session, the report sheds light on working conditions of employees, many of them who toil in isolation outside the public eye.
“No one should work alone when they’re in a dangerous situation,” Joe Baessler, executive director of Oregon AFSCME, said in a news event with workers and legislators.
Yet that happens, workers said.
Gillian Soderstrom, a former correctional officer at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution, experienced that circumstance during the 2020 wildfires, when inmates from another prison under threat were moved into her facility.
At one point, she was alone with 120 inmates in a unit with no cameras. Her radio battery died, leaving her with only a landline. For part of the ordeal, she relied on some inmates to keep her safe from others.
Advertisement
“The experience was so traumatic that I left the job at the Oregon Department of Corrections and I wasn’t the only one,” said Soderstrom, who returned to the agency for an executive support specialist job.
David Lynch, a registered nurse at Oregon State Hospital, the state’s psychiatric hospital, said conditions continue to be dangerous with patients who have high needs and difficulty in hiring staff to meet the demand.
Four years ago, Lynch said, a patient assaulted him. He needed several months off work to recover from a concussion.
“People who are overwhelmed cannot be vigilant,” Lynch said.
Lawmakers at the event stressed the need for action, which includes building upon past legislation. A task force started after House Bill 4002 passed in 2024, for example, made recommendations on how to keep behavioral health workers safer with written safety plans, safety planning and more training and safety assessments.
Advertisement
Lawmakers at the news conference said they support those recommendations.
Health care workers have experienced kicks, bites and beatings, said Rep. Travis Nelson, D-Portland and vice chair of the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care.
“This tells me there is a culture of fear and danger in too many facilities,” Nelson said.
Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem and chair of the Senate Health Care Committee, said the issues are interconnected. With reduced overtime and more staffing, conditions are safer.
“We need to ensure that the state has the ability to recruit and retain the kind of people like we have here who are working today,” Patterson said.
Advertisement
— Ben Botkin, Oregon Capital Chronicle
The Oregon Capital Chronicle, founded in 2021, is a nonprofit news organization that focuses on Oregon state government, politics and policy.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
Advertisement
The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
Advertisement
Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
Advertisement
UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
Sign up today for OPB’s “First Look” – your daily guide to the most important news and culture stories from around the Northwest.
Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
Advertisement
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
Advertisement
“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
Advertisement
On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
