So how much is the COLA going to be and when do I get it? The Cost of Living Adjustment is determined by the Consumer Price Index for Portland Area Urban Wage Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (also known as Portland-Salem CPI-W) by comparing the second half of the most recent year to the second half of the previous year. That number is 2.2%. It is effective (normally) on July 1 of each year. However, because our contract expires on June 30, 2017, and we are in bargaining with the County, the COLA will be applied retroactively to July 1, 2017 whenever the contract is formally ratified by the membership and the County Board of Commissioners. Three years ago, the final ratification did not occur until December 4, with the retroactive COLA being applied in the February paycheck. The COLA amount is technically subject to bargaining.