The City of Portland could be heading for not one but two strikes as bargaining with two unions representing city employees grinds to a halt.
City of Portland Professional Workers (CPPW) — which represents 800 salaried program coordinators and analysts — has set a Nov. 9 strike date. And Laborers Local 483 declared impasse Oct. 27 in bargaining over a new contract covering 700 city laborers; they could strike as soon as Dec. 4.
A third union — Professional & Technical Employees Local 17 (PROTEC17) — reached agreement on a new contract covering over 900 city employees through June 30, 2029. Members voted Sept. 30 to ratify the agreement, which now goes before Portland City Council Nov. 18 for approval. That agreement provides a 3% cost-of-living increase (known as a COLA) retroactive to July 1, 2026, followed by COLAs on July 1 in 2027 and 2028 based on the consumer price index, with a minimum of 1% and a maximum of 4%.
Coordinators and analysts ready to strike
CPPW so far is rejecting similar terms. In early October, members authorized the strike with a 93% yes vote. The city’s final offer mirrors the wage offer PROTEC17 agreed to plus a $1,000 ratification bonus. CPPW president Kari Koch says that’s not enough to provide a real cost-of-living adjustment that keeps up with inflation.
“They are essentially saying ‘take a pay cut and take decreased protections or move towards a strike,’” Koch said.
CPPW is a relatively new independent union. After members formed the union in June 2023 it took 23 months to get a first contract. That agreement runs through Dec. 31, 2027, but the contract’s final raises were left to be bargained this year.
Koch says CPPW members don’t want to strike but are prepared to follow through with their declaration of intent. Additional mediation sessions are scheduled for Nov. 4 and Nov. 8.
Laborers could be next
The city has contracts with three bargaining units represented by Laborers Local 483. The largest, a unit known as Portland City Laborers, covers about 700 city workers who maintain streets and parks. That contract — ratified after a three-day strike in February 2023 — expired June 30. The two sides could be moving toward another strike. Members voted by 98% to authorize a strike.
Union leaders say their last bargaining session ended with the city threatening to cut the COLA from the contract and increase duties for many workers without proportional compensation.
“We are hoping that [declaring an impasse] will bring real policymakers to the table, get them more involved in what is going on,” said union steward Scott Morris, a carpenter for City of Portland Parks and Rec. “We are not excited about striking, it is our last resort, but if we have to do it, we will go.”
PROTEC17 settles — 16 months after expiration
Like the laborers of Local 483, PROTEC17 members found themselves bargaining with the city long after their previous agreement had expired, in their case June 30, 2025.
PROTEC17 representative Mike Boyer attributed the eventual agreement to an improved offer from the City: In addition to the COLAs, the city agreed to targeted wage increases for eight job classifications that were considered underpaid and increased standby and shift differential pay and clothing reimbursements.
“To have contracts be pushed out this far past expiration, and our union on the brink of strike and another two unions on the brink of strike is completely unnecessary,” Boyer said. “We are really questioning some of the leadership in the City of Portland.”
