FILE - Members of the City of Portland Professional Workers Union testify before Portland City Council on Feb. 5, 2025 in Portland, Ore.
Anna Lueck for OPB
Some 800 Portland city workers could strike as soon as next month — and that number could nearly double by December if another city union approves a strike next week.
“If the city continues to tell us that they want workers to take cuts while managers continue to get raises, we will go on strike,” said Kari Koch, president of City of Portland Professional Workers Union, or CPPW.
After ten months of negotiations broke down over a disagreement over wages, 93% of the CPPW voted to authorize a strike. The workers could walk off the job as soon as Nov. 1.
The union represents 800 city workers in largely behind-the-scenes positions, ranging from financial analysts to multimedia specialists to technology staff. CPPW was formed in 2023 and adopted its first two–year contract last year. Its members are currently negotiating over wage increases and layoff protections — a piece of that original contract that both parties had agreed to renegotiate this year.
The city has said its final offer for CPPW includes about $9.1 million in new spending, while the union’s would require approximately $19.8 million over the same period.
“The city remains committed to reaching a fair agreement that recognizes employees’ contributions while balancing the city’s financial realities and responsibility to taxpayers,” reads an Oct. 12 news release from the city’s labor relations office.
Koch said the city’s financial analysis is flawed, and that they aren’t asking for anything different than what other city unions have baked into their contracts.
“It’s not outrageous,” she said. “It’s addressing the realities of inflation and the cost of living in the city.”
Koch said this frustration is only exacerbated by news of the city giving top bureaucrats six-figure payouts on their way out the door.
Another city union is gearing up for a similar fight. Over the course of the coming week, members of Portland City Laborers, a group represented by LiUNA Local 483, will also vote on whether to strike.
The laborers’ union represents about 750 city frontline workers, including maintenance staff, community center employees, landscape crews, and bridge repair teams.
Like CPPW, the laborers’ union has seen negotiations over wages come to a halt in recent months. Ryan Sotomayor, business manager for LiUNa Local 483, said the city hasn’t been transparent with its finances, making it difficult to bargain over wage increases.
He said the stalled talks are a waste of time, both for his union and taxpayers.
“It’s not an effective way to manage a business,” Sotomayor said. “We should be spending time solving problems and addressing the difficulties of next year’s budget. But instead we’re just delaying.”
Portland City Laborers are now voting on whether to authorize a strike. The results will come in next week. Sotomayor estimates that at least 80% of its members will support the move. If it’s authorized, workers may strike by the end of December.
It’s not an empty threat.
In February 2023, more than 600 workers with Portland City Laborers went on strike over stagnant wage increases. Employees returned to work after three days, after the city agreed to slightly higher annual raises. It was Portland’s first strike among city workers in two decades.
Sotomayor said his members aren’t thrilled to be in this position again.
“Our folks are not on the high end of the pay scale,” he said. “But it’s our work that people point to when city leaders say ‘See what we do best?’ And when it’s time for them to recognize our work, they don’t.”
Two other unions representing more than 900 additional city workers are also in months-long negotiations with the city. They have not yet voted to authorize a strike.
