Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 503 reached a tentative agreement with the State of Oregon on a two-year union contract covering 24,000 public employees.
State employees at the departments of Human Services, Transportation, Administrative Services, and Revenue will see raises ranging from 10% to 15% over the next two years as a result of cost-of-living-adjustments and step increases. Those who are at the top steps of their salary range will see, on average, a 10% raise over the same period. The new contract contains the largest increases in public employee wages in a decade, the union said.
The state initially proposed a four-year contract with a 1.68% raise in 2019, a 1% raise in 2020, and no guaranteed raises in 2021 or 2022.
“In the face of legal challenges and anti-union organizing, Oregon’s public employees chose to stick together. They won a contract that represents a major investment in our state’s public services,” Melissa Unger, executive director of Local 503, told Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The contract still must be ratified by members and the State of Oregon.
