Bargaining Update #32

C75: Council 75 (AFSCME)

MAT: Member Action Team

CBA: collective bargaining agreement

We had another full-caucus day on September 18th. You can sign up to observe our next bargaining session on September 25th here!  

Action Items & Upcoming Events

Pack the Room!

Thursday, October 2nd

We are asking our members to attend the County Commissioners board meeting at 9:30am on Thursday, October 2nd and to share testimony on key sticking points and priorities of our negotiations. We’ll need several individuals to speak and we want them to feel the support and solidarity of our co-workers around them as they address the Board. If you’re able to attend and would like to provide testimony or just stand in solidarity with our member speakers, please email us at bargaining@afscmelocal88.org; don’t forget to wear your AFSCME green!

Member Action Team Meeting

Monday, October 6th

Our virtual MAT meeting is from 6:30 – 7:30pm on Monday, October 6th.  We will be discussing how we are continuing to grow our power, engage members, and build for a strike in order to win a fair contract. Going on strike is the ultimate tool in a Union’s kit for a fair contract, and being strike-ready is critical to our ability to hold-out against the County as we advocate for the issues of most importance to our members. Most Unions that vote to go on strike actually end up settling their CBA before they get to the picket line, because their employers know that they are a credible threat. Having a well-informed membership that is prepared and ready to go on strike is critical to our negotiating power at the table. If you are interested in joining the MAT or getting more involved in our campaign for a fair contract, contact the MAT team here.  

Did You Know?

While many of us struggle to make ends meet with the County minimum wage of $20/hr, unrepresented positions at Multnomah County such as a “Workday Manager” are making between $118,948.83 – $190,317.60 a year.

If every non-represented position within Multnomah County was paid at the minimum range and there was only one person in each position, that would still be over $16,000,000 (sixteen million dollars) a year in wages just to non-represented staff such as Labor Relations and our direct supervisors. For context, the total cost of the COLA package as proposed so far by the County is just under $20,000,000 (twenty million dollars). That means that the total cost of our wage increases as proposed by the County for the duration of our 3 year contract for a bargaining unit of 4,000 people is comparable to what they spend on non-represented staff in just a single year.

You can review compensation plans for all represented and non-represented Multnomah County staff at this link. 

Update your Profile Images and backgrounds: One simple way to show your support for the best possible contract is to change your virtual meeting backgrounds and profile images. You can find instructions and lots of beautiful images to use here!

Follow Us on Social Media: Stay up to date on all the latest news by following AFSCME Local 88 on our Instagram and Local 88 Facebook!

In Solidarity, 

Your Bargaining Team

Questions? Email us at bargaining@afscmelocal88.org