In labor negotiations between an employer and a union in Oregon, declaring impasse means that both parties have reached a point in their negotiations where they are unable to make further progress in bargaining toward reaching an agreement on the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. When impasse is declared, it indicates that the parties have exhausted all reasonable efforts to negotiate and have been unable to resolve their differences. 

Declaring impasse is a required step in the dispute resolution process outlined in the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA) before a union may strike and management may implement a final offer.