As months of contract talks between city officials and a coalition of trade unions continue to stagnate, over 200 municipal employees in Portland are preparing to go on strike next week.
Days later, another 1,000 Portland employees, who are represented by the largest public employee union in the city, might do the same.
Plumbers, electricians, and other craftsmen are among the members of the District Council of Trade Unions, which informed the city Monday that its employees will go on strike beginning February 6, according to council president Mark Hinkle, who spoke to The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Amid a separate labor dispute with the city, AFSCME Local 189 members have until Tuesday night to decide whether to approve their own strike.
Later this week, the union, which represents a variety of clerical workers and other workers throughout Portland agencies, may send the city a notice of strike of its own.
Together, Local 189 and the District Council of Trade Unions represent roughly 1,200 employees, or 16% of the 7,500 workers in the city.
The impending labor dispute is a major barrier to a settlement between city and union negotiators as Portland authorities struggle with what they claim is a projected budget deficit of over $100 million for the upcoming fiscal year.
In late December, both unions announced an impasse with the city after starting three-year contract negotiations with Portland officials in April.
“Wages and wage premiums when performing extra, specific, or dangerous tasks are the main issues,” Hinkle stated.
Portland is providing the unions with a total of $19 million in wage and benefit increases over the next three years, above the planned annual cost of living adjustments, according to data made public by the city. Meanwhile, the city claims that the combined proposals from the two unions amount to roughly $40 million in increased pay and benefits.
According to the data, a member of the District Council of Trade Unions currently makes, on average, $158,000 a year in wages and benefits, while a member of Local 189 makes, on average, $139,000.
According to a statement released by Portland officials on Tuesday, the city is finalizing plans to guarantee that the vital services that residents depend on on a daily basis be disrupted as little as possible.
After Laborers Local 483 members went on strike for three days in 2023 before the two parties could come to an agreement, Portland had its first municipal strike in almost 20 years.
— Shane Dixon Kavanaugh focuses on accountability and watchdog reporting while covering politics and city administration in Portland.
His number is 503-294-7632.
Get in touch with [email protected].
On BlueSky@shanedkavanaugh, follow X@shanedkavanaugh.
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