PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland City workers union will be voting Monday on whether to authorize a strike.þþThe District Council of Trade Unions and the City of Portland have been negotiating a new contract agreement, even working with a State Mediator since July, but DTCU has declared an impasse.þþUnion members along with Portland Jobs with Justice and Portland DSA rallied at City Hall on Saturday in support of city workers ahead of the vote.þþ“The City’s last-and-final offer includes cost-of-living raises that would not even keep up with inflation,” read a press release from Jamie Partridge, a member of the group Jobs with Justice.þþ“It is unacceptable that the City has consistently ignored the needs of the essential employees that keep our city running,” Partridge continued. “Despite $221 million in CARES funding and a $62 million budget surplus, the city refuses to meet the economic needs of its employees to ensure they can continue to live and play in the city they serve.”þþA city-wide strike is possible depending on the outcome of the vote.þþDTCU President and Water Operations Mechanic Rob Martineau said they want to work and continue to serve the city, but they “don’t want to slide into poverty along the way.”þþMayor Ted Wheeler and Portland City Commissioners said in a joint statement:þþ“Fair pay, safe working conditions, and the opportunity to fully participate and benefit from our economy, community, and our country: all working people deserve these basic things. City employees kept Portland running for almost two years in the face of a global pandemic, an economic recession, and a long-overdue racial justice reckoning. City employees persevered through personal and professional challenges to help balance the City’s budget. We remain incredibly grateful to our employees and all they bring to Portland.”þþ“We feel confident that the offer the City has provided the DCTU and its members meets many of the needs raised by the DCTU during the course of these negotiations,” said Portland’s Office of Management and Finance spokesperson Heather Hafer.þþThe CIty says it has offered a 1.6% cost of living increase, a $1,500 bonus, among other provisions. The City’s Chief Human Resource Officer Cathy Bless said the proposed 1.6% cost of living adjustment offer is retroactive to July 1, 2021, so if approved, DCTU employees would receive a lump sum payment for the amount owed since July.þþ“The nation’s economic landscape has changed in the last year and we’ve all experienced higher inflation. The DCTU contract allows for up to a 5% COLA as part of the City's final offer,” Bless said. “I expect the 2022 COLA will be near the ceiling, if not at the ceiling, of 5% given the current inflation factors.”þþThe City and the DCTU have an additional mediation session scheduled for Tuesday.
Source: www.katu.com
