Published: July 6, 2021

Progress Continues
We continue to make progress at the bargaining table as we head into the final stages of negotiations. This past week we reached a tentative agreement on several more issues, but we are still waiting to hear from management on one of our top non-economic priority issues – making sure the state is prepared and planning for the next state of emergency. And while we saw some movement from management on cost of living increases, they still need to be better. Read the latest on both our team’s and management’s proposals, including wins in the following areas:

  • Increased protections for on-the-job injuries.
  • Computer and internet access for all employees.
  • ​Trial service improvements.

Coalitions Wrapping Up & Contract Extension
Last week two more coalitions reached a tentative agreement with management on agency-specific issues that we bargain separately from the central table. The ODOT and Institutions coalitions reached a tentative agreement joining the Specials coalition (which reached an agreement a few weeks ago). Our Human Services coalition will continue to bargain this week, and they’ve been making headway over the past couple of sessions, so we expect good news from that table soon.

We have agreed to a one month extension of our contract, through July 31, 2021. This allows us to continue bargaining while keeping all the protections and benefits of our current contract in place.

Movement on Money, but Not Enough
As we mentioned above, while management has made some movement on cost-of-living raises, they haven’t moved enough, and we haven’t seen anything from them yet on hazard pay. Prioritizing hazard pay for essential workers and winning cost of living raises for everyone to ensure our members don’t fall behind, are top economic priorities for our bargaining team.

So, if you haven’t done so yet, we need all of you to call the Governor – and ask her to support these priority proposals. When we join together in collective action we clear a path to victory. Learn more and get instructions on how to reach out to the governor and make sure that once you make a call you record the conversation on that webpage so that we can track our progress along the way.