Big Win for City of The Dalles Workers

SEIU 503 members at City of The Dalles just ended a difficult bargaining campaign that resulted in an excellent new contract! We not only defended against proposed takeaways but won significant cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) in the face of a shaky economy and city budgetary challenges.

Our members held status quo on health insurance while removing hidden cost increases – and won COLAs of 3% effective July 1st, 2026, and COLAs based on inflation between 2.5% and 5.5% over the next two years. More wins include adding Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a paid holiday; bilingual differentials; an additional 24 hours a year of vacation time for employees who have worked for more than 20 years at the City; up to 8% pay differentials for mechanics; Oregon’s first $200 shoe allowance for library employees, improved clothing/boot allowance for all eligible employees, and more!

This victory is all because workers organized and took action: we purpled up, attended multiple city council meetings, showed up in solidarity to bargaining sessions, and we won!