City of Portland Employees Initiate Open-Ended Strike After Failed Contract Negotiations
Approximately 800 members of the City of Portland Professional Workers (CPPW) union began an open-ended strike on Monday morning after contract negotiations with the City of Portland failed over the weekend. The union, representing about 10% of Portland's workforce, has been in negotiations for nearly a year. A bargaining session on Sunday evening, lasting over five hours, did not result in an agreement. Kari Koch, President of CPPW, stated that Mayor Keith Wilson acknowledged the strike would be 'damaging' and have an impact. The primary sticking point in negotiations is a cost-of-living adjustment for city workers. Koch indicated that the city's offers have been insufficient, describing them as a 'brick wall.' CPPW members work across all city bureaus, including the bureau of emergency management, and the strike is expected to disrupt critical city services. The union accuses the city of bargaining in bad faith, while the city maintains its commitment to reaching a fair and sustainable resolution for emp...
