09/15 Bargaining Update
/Thursday 09/08 Bargaining Proposals:
Last week’s bargaining schedule was disrupted by the holiday and City scheduling. Instead of meeting on our standard Tuesday we met on Thursday September 8th.
Most of this session was occupied with the proposals changing specific Letters of Agreement that target specific workgroups or bureaus. These agreements are located in the back of our contract. Some proposals aim to include Regular and Seasonal Park Rangers in more contract language that exists for the rest of our members. Others restructure schedules and on call compensation for certain workgroups. All those LoAs can be found in full on the PCL Bargaining Page.
The PCL team proposed one change to the main body of the contract in Article 28 Wage Scales. For this article we have asked the pension calculation OT limit be increased to 500 hours for all members under the OPSRP retirement plan. Tier 1 and 2 members have no OT limit for pensions. We also asked the City to match up to 2.5% in employee defined contribution retirement accounts. This is to compensate for the IAP stabilization fund withdraws state law implemented on our members’ retirement. The City Bargaining Team had nothing prepared for us and no answers at the table to our proposals.
Tuesday 09/13 Bargaining Proposals:
With those many LoAs across the table, this week’s bargaining was exclusively focused on the first part of PCL Wage proposals.
The first item of that proposal is an uncapped COLA for the duration of our contract. The current 5% ceiling is too low to capture the real change in what our money buys us here in Portland. Our members refuse to take pay cuts following some of the most difficult years in frontline City employee history.
The second item proposed is a 3.5% Across the Board pay raise. This is to honor the sacrifices all our members have made over the duration of the last contract.
The third item proposed are changes to the Premiums portion of the contract. These changes improved compensation for Lead pay and wastewater certifications, added the language differential for all members of the bargaining unit, created a bloodborne pathogen hazard premium, and set all premiums to increase annually with cost of living adjustments.
The Final component of our financial proposals are Raises for Specific Job Classifications. These classifications were identified by the Bargaining Team based largely on direct input from members regarding working conditions, failure to retain/hire, and higher wages for comparable work performed throughout the region. Tuesday we had members from the Operations Specialist, Wastewater Operator, and Tree Inspector classes speak on the need for targeted wage increases to the City’s bargaining team. We also had a Environmental Services Crew Leader speak to the need for wage increases for all Crew Leader positions working under this contract.
Bargaining On 09/27
We will conclude our financial proposal in bargaining set for Tuesday September 27th with the remainder of our targeted job classification increases. Those currently include Horticulturalists, Park Rangers, Park Techs, Facility Maintenance Techs, Automotive Equipment Operator IIs, Construction Equipment Operators, Environmental Systems Maintenance Techs, Carpenters, Concrete Finishers, Welders, Industrial Maintenance Millwright and Machinists.
If you have information you would like to share with the PCL bargaining team regarding a specific classification raise you must communicate with the Bargaining team by Monday September 19th or that information cannot be included in our proposals.
On September 27th we will complete all our original proposals for the Portland City Laborers collective bargaining agreement. This is the end of a very long process that has led to proposed changes on over 50% of all contract articles. Our members have demanded real change to our pay and working conditions. Those demands have been communicated vigorously to City management. Now begins the time for every one of us to get involved in the fight for these demands to be met.