Bargaining Update #27

LDA: Limited-Duration Appointment

WOC: Work-Out-of-Class

CBA: Collective-Bargaining Agreement

MOA: Memorandum of Agreement

KSA: Culturally-specific Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (in relation to compensation)

CCL: Current Contract Language

Last week our Bargaining Team presented  a “package” on non-economic articles to the County. In bargaining, a “package” is a collection of interrelated articles and/or addendums that are reviewed and either accepted or rejected together. 

Union Proposals

Package: Article 2, Article 15, Article 22, Addendum K, and Addendum L

We presented this package in an attempt to address what our Bargaining Team has been colloquially referring to as “the Big Mess”. What is “the Big Mess”? It’s the hodge-podge of employment types including Limited Duration Assignments, Limited Duration Appointments, Work-Out-of-Class, temporary assignments, and On-Call assignments that are often used and referred to interchangeably by management. Our package is an attempt to simplify these “irregular” positions and to make our full contract apply to workers in a more equitable way. A lot of untangling went into our proposed package, so here’s some simplified context for our CCL versus what we proposed before we dive into all the details from each article and addendum.

CCL “Big Mess” includes: seasonal employees, temporary employees, limited duration employees, WOC – short, WOC – long, temporary assignment – short, temporary assignment – long, limited duration appointments, and limited duration assignment. Full-terms of CBA do not apply to On-Call workers.

Our proposed package includes: Limited Duration Appointments, Temporary Employees, WOC, and On-Call. Full-terms of the CBA would apply to On-Call workers.

• Article 2 – Definitions

• • • Many of our changes in this article are just lining up the definitions here with our other proposals throughout the CBA.
    • Proposed a six (6) month initial trial service period as opposed to the current (one (1) year) trial service and that employees will receive a performance review within the first three (3) months of employment and provided feedback on how to address any performance deficiencies or concerns in writing. 
    • Added definitions for Ad-hoc Teleworker, Hybrid Teleworker, Routine Teleworker, and Worksite in the spirit of our MOA win on travel-time as work-time.
  • Article 15 – Job Profiles and Pay Ranges
    • We proposed that an employee who leaves the County and is re-hired to the same job profile they left within twelve (12) months will return to work at the Pay Step they were at prior to separation. 
    • We added language to ensure that an employee who has had a KSA attached to their position or bilingual premium pay for at least a year prior to receiving a promotion would have their promotional pay increase calculated by including the KSA or bilingual premium in their base wages.    
    • Proposed increasing retroactivity for wage increases due to reclassification up to twelve (12) months instead of the current six (6) months. 

• Article 22 – Shift and Work Assignment

• • • Struck-out all language referring to “Temporary and Short Term Work Assignments” as this is now addressed in our proposal for Addendum K. 

• Addendum K – Limited Duration Appointments & Temporary Employees

• • • Proposed that Limited-Duration Appointments of greater than 30 days be shared with employees and the appointment will be made based on class seniority if applicable, and then County seniority. If there’s no interest in the LDA by current employees the position can then be posted externally. 
    • Employees placed in an LDA to a non-bargaining unit profile will continue to pay dues during assignment and continue to be represented by our Union during assignment. 
    • An employee in a Temporary Appointment that has been extended beyond the initial 6 months will be considered to be in a Limited Duration Appointment which may then continue for a maximum of three (3) years. 
    • Proposed increasing the differential in-lieu of health benefits for Temporary Employees to two dollars ($2) an hour from the current one dollar fifty ($1.50). 

• Addendum L – On-Call Employees

• • Temporary employees and seasonal employees are no longer included in this addendum as we’ve addressed them in Addendum K. 
  • Proposed extending the full benefits of our CBA to all On-Call employees
  • On-Call employees qualify for healthcare benefits if they work 1040 hours or more in a single year. 
  • On-Call employees who do not qualify for healthcare benefits will receive a differential of two dollars ($2) an hour.

Non-Packaged Union Proposals

• Addendum E – Auto Reimbursements and Transit Subsidies

• • • Adds language from our union’s victory regarding travel time, and clarifies that commuting is only at the very beginning and end of your workday and that travel for work is in fact work and needs to be paid..
    • Increase automobile reimbursement from fifty dollars ($50) a month to one-hundred ($100) dollars a month for full-time employees and from twenty-five dollars ($25) to fifty dollars ($50) a month for part-time employees.

• Article 13 – Work Schedules

• • • Increase required notice to employees for a change in their work schedule from fifteen (15) calendar days to twenty-one (21) unless that notice has been waived in writing by the employee or if there is a County-declared emergency.
    • Employees directed to leave the workplace by their supervisor will receive their regular rate-of-pay for the hours the employee was scheduled to work.
    • Proposed a Same-Day Reassignment Process to clarify and standardize how and when an employee can be temporarily required to work assigned hours outside of their regular work-site. 

• Article 19 – Modification of Work Performed by the Bargaining Unit: Contracting, Intergovernmental Agreements, and Use of Volunteers

• • • Specified that use of volunteers shall not replace any bargaining unit positions or prevent bargaining unit positions from being filled.

• Article 25 – Safety and Health

• • • We have proposed Joint Staffing Reviews in every Article 25 proposal we’ve presented so far, and the County keeps rejecting us under the justification of staffing being “a management right.” We presented this idea to the County again and we stressed that our intent here is to be a part of the conversation and to be able to offer feedback and suggestions for how to improve staffing to maintain the safety and health of our workers. We understand that management has the right to determine staffing levels, but that does NOT mean that we should be shut out of the conversation entirely. Our role as a Union is to protect workers rights and to advocate for improvement to help make Multnomah County a better place to work; we’re maintaining our position that being a part of the conversation around staffing isn’t taking anything away from management and only contributes to a solution. In this most recent counter-proposal, we suggested that the first Joint Staffing Review should take place sometime before 2028 so we can have that information and be aware of the issues ahead of the next bargaining cycle. 

• Article 26 – General Provisions

• • Increase the maximum reimbursable amount for prescription safety glasses from $150 to $300. 
  • Increase the maximum reimbursable amount for bed-bug removal from $500 to $1500. Thankfully this contract language doesn’t often have cause to come into play, but when it does, it’s enforceable because an employee came into contact with bed bugs during the course of their job duties. The employee is bringing those bed bugs home to their residence and their loved ones as a result of their employment with the County and the County should be responsible for the financial burden. 

Did You Know?

Our CBA is covered under PECBA, which means we have specific guidelines for when we are able to go on-strike. 

1. Both sides engage in “good faith” bargaining for at least 150 days.
2. If no agreement has been made after 150 days of “good faith” bargaining, we can bring in a mediator. 
3. If after 15 days of working with a mediator we still haven’t reached an agreement, impasse is declared.
4. Within 7 days of reaching impasse, both sides will present their final “best offer” and costing.
5. After exchanging final “best offers”, there is a mandatory 30-day cooling off period. 
6. After the 30-day cooling off period, one of two things will happen: Multnomah County can either implement their “final best offer”, or our Union can go on strike.
7. To go on strike, our Union has to hold a strike-authorization vote. If members vote to authorize the strike, we have to provide 10 days notice ahead of our planned strike date to Multnomah County.

We reached 150 days of bargaining on July 26th, and a mediator has not yet been deemed necessary by either party. We are coming closer to many items of concern with the County, excluding issues related to Safety and Health in the workplace, general wage adjustments, and our COLA. Most contract-negotiations do not result in a strike, but members being prepared for a strike is crucial to its success as leverage to gain better workplace rights and to ensure that our members are still able to meet their needs while on-strike. 

Supports Already In-Place for Members on Strike

• AFSCME Local 88 voted to approve a local strike-fund to support our members during an active strike. A standing committee is still needed to hash out who would qualify to receive strike-funds, how the strike-funds would be received, and how members can donate to the strike-fund. If you’re interested in joining the Strike-Fund Committee, please fill out this online form.  
• Thanks to Union advocacy, effective January 1st, 2026 employees in Oregon who participate in a strike can be eligible to receive Workers Compensation while on-strike. Read up on SB 916 for more information. 
• Various community groups, organizations, and businesses set up strike-funds to support local workers while on strike. This is one of the many reasons why our solidarity with other community groups matters and is of direct benefit to our members.

Things to Keep in Mind

Before going on-strike, it’s important that our members ask themselves the following questions and take steps to address related concerns.

• Do I have any savings? What can I reasonably prepare for?
  • Consider costs of medications and ongoing medical appointments.
  • Is there flexibility in how I pay for my housing? 
  • What resources are available in my community that I’m not currently utilizing and could be of benefit while on-strike? 
• What skills or expertise do I have that can assist my fellow workers during this time? 
  • Mutual aid is a huge boon while on-strike. Organizing child-care, food pantries, fix-it events, and even social events to keep up morale are all important to ensure our members are taken care of and we can hold-out long-enough for the County to feel the pressure and come back to the negotiating table.

Upcoming Events

AFSCME L88 Trivia: We apologize for last week’s link mix-up for virtual trivia. Our first trivia night was a lot of fun and we want to do it again! Join us on August 26th from 6:30 – 7:30pm to show off your union know-how and win a prize. 

AFSCME L88 Labor Day Picnic: Join us for a day of fun, good food, and celebration on September 1st from 11am – 2pm at Powell Park, located at 2500 SE Powell Blvd, Portland OR 97202. There will be food, games, a bounce house, face painting, and raffle prizes! This event is free to AFSCME Local 88 members and their guests.