Members of Teamsters Portland Local 223 and Vancouver Local 58 voted by an 86 percent margin to ratify a new four-year contract at American Medical Response (AMR). The deal raises wages 21.8 percent over the life of the agreement.
The 600-plus-member bargaining unit provides ambulance service to Multnomah and Clackamas counties in Oregon, and Clark and Cowlitz counties in Washington.
The previous contract expired June 30, but was extended to Aug. 24. In late July the union took a strike authorization vote, which passed by a wide margin.
With strike authorization in hand, the sides met Aug. 20-21, along with a federal mediator. On Aug. 21 the union presented its “last, best, and final” offer to AMR.
“The other option was to hand them our 10-day notice to strike” said Local 223 Business Rep Dave Tully.
AMR took the deal.
The new contract raises wages twice a year for four years: 3 percent each July 1, and 2 percent each January 1. The first raise is retroactive to July 1, 2018. The union preserved health care benefits, including a $5 office co-pay at Kaiser Permanente, and maintained a 401 (k) retirement savings plan. The new agreement runs through June 30, 2022.
