Portland city workers took to picket lines outside a wastewater treatment plant before dawn Monday and marched outside City Hall hours later, after a last round of mediation failed to settle what the city should pay the people who help run its bureaus.
The walkout by the City of Portland Professional Workers union began Nov. 9, less than a day after five hours of talks ended without a deal. The union represents about 800 employees, from budget analysts and administrative specialists to technology staff and emergency management coordinators. Portland confirmed the strike and reported that city services were operating without disruptions Monday.
At the bargaining table, the two sides are divided over raises and over which jobs to count when calculating their cost. Portland put the cost of the union’s October offer at $19.8 million through the end of 2027. The union put it closer to $9 million, saying the city included roughly 100 vacant positions as well as jobs cut during the budget process. City officials say they expect to fill many of those vacancies and included them in projecting payroll costs.
Portland’s own October offer would add $9.1 million in spending by the city’s estimate. It includes a 3 percent cost-of-living increase effective July 1, 2026, and a second increase of 1 percent to 4 percent in July 2027, depending on inflation. Eligible employees would receive a one-time payment of $1,000. Workers in qualifying positions would also receive a $350 annual allowance for safety gear.
The union wants increases built into the wage scale in addition to adjustments for inflation. Its October offer called for a 4.5 percent wage-scale increase in July 2027, separate from that year’s cost-of-living adjustment. The higher wage scale would carry into future payroll budgets. The one-time payment in the city’s offer would be paid once.
The two sides reopened four provisions of their first labor agreement in January. That contract runs through December 2027. Along with wages, negotiators are still working through how the city handles layoffs and recalls, sets work schedules and pays employees who must stay available or return to work outside their regular shifts.
Both sides filed offers with the Oregon Employment Relations Board on Oct. 1, triggering a 30-day cooling-off period. The union says 93 percent of members who voted authorized a strike. It later gave the required 10-day notice and set the walkout for 12:01 a.m. Monday. Union officials said they brought another proposal to Sunday’s mediation after meeting with Mayor Keith Wilson and that the city’s team rejected it. The union did not disclose the terms.
Portland says it has plans to keep essential public safety and infrastructure services running. Union leaders pointed to work that becomes urgent when equipment fails or an emergency spreads across bureaus. They warned that a chemical spill or natural disaster could be harder to coordinate with fewer emergency management staff on duty, and that repairs to 911 equipment could take longer. The city’s Monday update listed no strike-related delays or closures.
The walkout comes as Portland faces a separate dispute with roughly 700 employees represented by Portland City Laborers, a unit of LiUNA Local 483. Those workers help maintain streets, parks and other city infrastructure. The city and that union filed final offers with the state Nov. 3. Portland says the laborers could strike as early as Dec. 3 if they do not reach an agreement.
The professional workers union said it would continue picketing at City Hall. Its next meeting with Portland was tentatively set for Friday, Nov. 13.