Multnomah County fulfilled a commitment to workers of color to create a more inclusive workplace in 2019 by establishing a new unit to look into allegations of harassment and discrimination.
The county’s main employee union is now criticizing the specialist unit, which has since received close to 500 employee complaints. In a grievance filed in May of last year, AFSCME Local 88 claimed that the unit was not conducting investigations in accordance with the union contract. As the union attempts to come to a consensus with county officials over the unit’s future, that grievance remains in limbo.
