Two bargaining units representing more than 1,200 City of Portland employees declared “impasse” last week, signaling the unions’ dissatisfaction with contract negotiations.
Under state law, final offers and costing estimates are due this week from the City and the two unions: the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the District Council of Trade Unions. From there, a 30-day “cooling off period” begins for each of the bargaining units – meaning a strike would be a possibility as soon as the end of January if a compromise cannot be brokered.
AFSCME and DCTU have both reached tentative agreements with the City on many of the contract details, but remain far apart on monetary terms – a sticking point as the City faces down a projected $27 million gap for the budget year that will begin July 1. The City has planned for cost-of-living raises across its represented workforce. However, any additional commitments would require deeper spending cuts.
A third bargaining unit, the City of Portland Professional Workers, is also in negotiations with the City. The union recently requested mediation to assist the parties with reaching an agreement.