Last week, following numerous reported cases of illegal interference by City of Portland managers in an attempt to disrupt these employees' legally protected right to vote to strike, over 86% of District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) members voted to authorize a strike to begin at 9am on Thursday, February 10th.
As of now, this means all City employees represented by DCTU will cease working at 9am, on Thursday, February 10th.
“Portland continues to lose our most skilled workers to the competitive market, while our newest members cannot afford to live in the city they hope to serve,” said Rob Martineau, President of DCTU and Oregon AFSCME Local 189.
Through their agents at the bargaining table, DCTU believes that Portland City Council has been unwilling to recognize the cost of the city’s labor needs in an increasingly worker-centered economy, as well as the sacrifices made by its membership throughout the COVID pandemic.
“We implore City Management to reflect on the needs of our community — a community made up in no small part by the employees we represent — and the services we provide while they consider this final step of our long negotiation,” continued Martineau.
The District Council of Trade Unions (the “DCTU”) – is an umbrella labor organization for City employees that engages in coalition bargaining with the City. The DCTU includes the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Local 189; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 48; International Union of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District Lodge 24; Auto Mechanics, District Lodge 24; International Union of Operating Engineers Local 701; United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States, Canada, Local 290; and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 5.
