The largest union at the City of Portland reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the city in the early hours of Jan. 30, after nearly 18 hours at the bargaining table. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 189 represents almost 1,100 workers, and they had been preparing to strike since declaring impasse in late December.
The day before reaching agreement, the union announced that members had authorized a strike with 89% of members participating in the vote and 87% in favor.
Members will vote this month on whether to ratify the proposed three-year contract. Portland City Council will vote on it March 5. The agreement would increase pay for around 90 AFSCME-represented workers who are paid less than equivalent workers represented by other unions. The union also won two years of backpay for those workers, according to a summary of the tentative agreement.
“This is a complicated remedy to the city doing pay equity badly,” said Local 189 President Rob Martineau.
Many classifications will get wage increases of 3% upon contract ratification. A few workers who make below the region’s living wage of $27.04 per hour, as calculated by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology program, will get raises to bring them up to living wage after six months on the job.
The proposed contract also gives a 2% premium to workers who have been with the city for at least 10 years. Fully in-person workers get an additional three personal days.
On top of annual cost of living adjustments, workers will get at least a 1% raise each year of the contract, the union said. As in the last contract, the annual cost of living adjustments are based on inflation but must be 1-5%.
