Portland-area transit workers will get raises at the end of this year and next, but otherwise their union contract will remain unchanged for the next two years.
Members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757 at TriMet voted by 67% to approve a contract rollover, with 57% voter turnout. The current contract was set to expire Nov. 30, and the union and management would otherwise be gearing up for bargaining.
TriMet’s Board of Directors must still vote on the extension and will likely do so at its Aug. 10 meeting, a spokesperson said.
The extension provides a 7.5% raise on Dec. 1, 2022, and another 4% raise in December 2023. It also locks in medical premium costs for the next two years, preventing increases for workers.
“This will give us certainty in a time of unpredictability,” Local 757 leaders said in an update to members. “Most importantly, this gives union leadership and membership a chance to mobilize around some urgent priorities: getting the right to strike back, operator assaults, and improving the environment that you all work in.”
The contract covers workers in TriMet’s transportation, maintenance, public affairs and finance divisions.
