A labor dispute between the City of Corvallis and hundreds of city employees appears to be escalating. Union members are preparing to begin a strike authorization vote as negotiations over a new labor contract remain unresolved.
At the last Corvallis City Council meeting on August 17, AFSCME Local 2975 packed the public comment section with multiple speakers who addressed the City Council.
AFSCME Local 2975 represents City of Corvallis employees working across a wide range of departments and public services, including Public Works, Community Development, Parks and Recreation, and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.
The union last reported in June that about 70% of eligible city workers were union members.
Several city employees spoke during public comment about wages, health care costs, longevity pay, and what they described as a deteriorating relationship between workers and city management.
You can attend City Council meetings or watch the broadcast live on Vimeo. Link at the end of the article. We watched the broadcast live this time. Vimeo shows the number of viewers watching online. The highest number of live viewers reached during the broadcast was 17.
If you are not going to watch it, then we can try to summarize for you, at no cost to your wallet, and maybe less cost to your time.
We think the most informative update came from Evan Newton, a land use planner and inspector with the City’s Development Services division who serves as president of AFSCME Local 2975, and as a member of its bargaining team.
Newton told councilors that the union received what he described as management’s “last, best, and final offer” on July 7. He said the union subsequently made repeated attempts to return to bargaining and submitted a counteroffer on July 20 that reduced costs to the City and accepted several of management’s non-economic changes.
According to Newton, management has still declined to return to the table.
“They still refuse to meet with us,” Newton told the Council. “Earlier this month, our members overwhelmingly voiced support to move toward a strike authorization vote.”
“While management bides their time, our members will prepare for and begin the strike authorization vote next week,” Newton said. “Councilors, AFSCME workers do not wish to strike. We want a fair contract.”
A strike authorization vote does not mean city employees will immediately go on strike. Instead, it will authorize the union to take the “strike” step if negotiations remain unsuccessful. Which, based on the Local 2975 worker speeches, it has not been.
“We ask for your help in resolving these negotiations so the community does not face disruptions to essential city services,” Newton told the Council.
Newton laid out how the union felt, he was informative about it, and set the timeline.
Earl Nicholson, another speaker for the union, grabbed our attention a bit more. He came with fire, passion, anger, and emotion. He spoke from the heart. This was already a story, but the heart of a story is emotional resonance. And he did just that.
(Photo: City of Corvallis/Vimeo)
Nicholson, a Civil Engineer with the city, and vice president and chief steward of the local union, told the council he was there to speak about “the city’s attitude towards paying its dedicated civil servants,” before comparing the city’s current contract negotiations with the council’s decision last December to increase City Manager Mark Shepard’s compensation.
Nicholson contrasted the city manager’s additional 5% raise with the system facing other city employees. “Some maxed out employees have had to go literally decades without a raise,” he said. For employees who repeatedly exceed expectations, Nicholson said the incentive amounts to a “pat on the back,” adding, “The more years that go by, that pat starts to feel like a push into the dirt.”
He then turned councilors’ previous statements back at them, including Mayor Charles Maughan’s question, “Do we expect our community to not give pay raises to their employees?” Nicholson responded: “How can you justify that for one person without applying that across the board?”
Nicholson ended by asking whether councilors knew management’s final offer was “worse than our expiring contract.” His final question was even more pointed: “Were you telling the truth nine months ago, or were you just blowing smoke?”
It should also be noted that Corvallis City Councilors are “dedicated civil servants” as well, and only receive a small stipend.
Oregon AFSCME previously said the City offered employees a 3% cost-of-living adjustment during the first year of the new contract, while also increasing the share of health insurance premiums paid by employees. The union argues that the increased health care costs would eat into most of that wage increase.
Steven Whitener, a Ward 2 resident and acquisitions specialist at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, also questioned councilors about the difference between compensation decisions for management and union employees.
“We are asking for modest adjustments to reflect the value we continue to deliver,” Whitener said. “Ultimately, you voted to grant our city manager that additional 5% raise.”
Another city employee, Jonathan Rader, told councilors he has worked as a water treatment plant operator for 25 years, including the last 19 serving Corvallis.
“Providing safe, potable, aesthetically pleasing water is a duty Public Works takes seriously,” Rader said. “This goal is accomplished through hard work and teamwork.”
Rader said employees and supervisors don’t always agree, but are generally able to work together to accomplish their jobs. Rader said. “It seems we desperately need this type of relationship at the bargaining table.”
He also pointed to the effect inflation has had on employee wages. Rader said a contract beginning in 2018 provided a 3% raise during its first year and 2% increases during each of the following four years.
“That meant an 11% wage increase from 2018 to 2023, while inflation in that same time span jumped 22%,” Rader said.
The contract negotiations have been building for months. Nearly 100 city workers rallied outside Corvallis City Hall in May before marching through downtown.
Workers have repeatedly said they are seeking adequate wages, affordable health care, improved career paths, and greater recognition for longtime employees. A strike authorization vote would not guarantee a strike, and Newton made clear Monday that union members say they would prefer to reach an agreement.
If the vote is approved and negotiations remain stalled, the chance of a disruption to city services would become a real possibility.
“It’s time for management to get serious and return to the bargaining table,” Newton told the Council.
The Corvallis City Council Vimeo can be found here.
This article was written by Jesse Grant, a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
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