Oregon Health and Science University Employee Trolls Union Under Fake Names

He used the pseudonyms Aanus McFadden and Roy Vragina.

Oregon Health and Sciences University. (Wesley Lapointe)
By Elise Herron

Oregon Health & Science University has removed a member from its bargaining team after he created fake social media accounts to troll American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 328.

The union local surfaced allegations of the troll account being linked to OHSU employee Patrick Frengle on Aug. 5, writing that it suspected Frengle had created two Twitter accounts under the names Aanus McFadden and Roy Vragina, which tweeted frequently to and about the union and spread false information about union dues.

In response, OHSU tweeted to the union this week that Frengle had "been removed from [the] bargaining team, effective immediately, and is prohibited from participating in any future negotiations."

Union spokesman Ross Grami says OHSU apologized to the union bargaining team in an email on Tuesday, Aug. 6, confirming Frengle had admitted being responsible for the troll accounts.

"We are deeply disappointed to learn that a member of our bargaining team has engaged in inappropriate conduct on social media," OHSU writes in a statement. "This behavior does not reflect our core value of transparency. We are sorry."

It continues: "While we cannot discuss confidential personnel matters, we can confirm that this individual has been removed from our bargaining team, effective immediately, and is prohibited from participating in any future negotiations. We are committed to moving forward with integrity as bargaining continues."

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