Today the City of Portland and the Portland Police Association settled a four-year contract through mediation, after negotiations first began in February of 2020.
Responding to high community interest and advocacy around this contract, Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Hardesty teamed up to bring national experts to Portland for a work session on best practices in police contracts in October of 2019. In November of 2019, Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Hardesty co-hosted two “PPA Contract Community Listening Sessions” and that feedback was incorporated into a summary report by the Bureau of Human Resources.
Negotiations for the current contract officially began in February of 2020 and the City immediately prioritized community feedback that requested a transparent bargaining process. Ground rules were negotiated that allowed all City of Portland hosted bargaining sessions to be observable to the public. The first few City hosted sessions were observable in person until the COVID-19 pandemic began. For the City to keep their commitment to transparency, a one-year extension of the contract was made while we learned more about the extent of the pandemic and developed a virtual negotiation setting. The one-year extension also allowed Portland Street Response to operate with up to 6 vans during PSR’s initial pilot phase.
Contract negotiations resumed on January 13, 2021, with City-hosted sessions observable virtually on Zoom. A website was created to keep the public up-to-date on the latest tentative agreements, joint City-PPA statements, and additional information at www.rethinkportland.com/ppa-contract. On June 14th, 2021, PPA filed for mediation under a law that allows either side to file for mediation after 150 days of bargaining.
Representatives from each Council office – Mayor Wheeler, Commissioner Hardesty, Commissioner Ryan, Commissioner Rubio, and Commissioner Mapps– were deeply involved in negotiations and are proud to have reached a fair contract that brings many of the changes sought by community. We would like to thank all the Portlanders that watched, wrote, spoke, and engaged in this process.
Highlights for the new contract, which can be viewed online include:
• New Discipline Guide
• Continues the expansion of Portland Street Response and develops a workgroup to define issues such as call types and co-response
• Targeted premium pays focused on training and education, and competitive incentives to promote recruitment and retention of Portland Police Officers
Soon the City will provide an opportunity for the community to testify or have questions answered, including:
• A virtual education session on February 10th with Lead Negotiator Steven Schuback and Chief Deputy City Attorney Heidi Brown
• A council hearing February 17th with public testimony
• A final vote by Council February 24th
Contract negotiations for the next contract between the City of Portland and Portland Police Association will likely begin in 2025.