City of Portland Independent Police Review Workers To Go On Strike

PORTLAND - After providing the City of Portland with the legally required ten-day notice, workers for the Independent Police Review (IPR), represented by Oregon AFSCME Local 189, will walk off the job and go on strike outside of City Hall on Wednesday, November 5th, starting at 8am.

“We’re asking for concrete language ensuring job security, just a binding agreement that the experienced administrative investigators and staff at IPR will have a guaranteed option to continue to do the important work they’ve dedicated their careers to in the City’s new police oversight system,” said Gayla Jennings, IPR Operations Coordinator and Oregon AFSCME Local 189-5 Chapter Chair.

IPR’s bargaining team has been in mediation with the City since August 21st, yet the City has failed to provide meaningful proposals or analysis of their position on many of these items. Most concerning is their failure to collaboratively engage in providing information to help IPR employees thoughtfully plan for what options would be available to them to continue employment with the City after the transition of oversight systems.

These investigators are vital to increased accountability and public transparency. Day after day, they show up to do the work that we all rely on as neighbors and community leaders.

IPR workers declared an impasse on September 9, yet they have continued to participate in mediation. Their fifth mediation session was on October 31, and they held a sixth session today, Tuesday, November 4th, to no avail.

Workers are going on strike due to the City of Portland’s outright refusal to offer positions doing the same or similar work in the new police oversight board to these experienced public servants, claiming they can’t “because of the charter.”

The truth is that this could be guaranteed in their union contract, the City could absolutely protect their jobs, and their union, but are choosing not to.

WHAT:    City of Portland Independent Police Review will walk off the job and go on strike to demanding a contract that acknowledges their experience and provides successorship language

WHO:    IPR workers and allies

WHEN:    Wednesday, November 5th at 8am

WHERE:    Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

Oregon AFSCME believes in economic and social justice for all Oregon workers and their families. Our mission is to empower and unite workers to create change in their workplaces and communities. Oregon AFSCME represents over 40,000 workers in the public sector. Our members work for the State of Oregon in addition to counties, municipalities and behavioral health nonprofits across Oregon as well as self-employed child care providers. For more information visit: www.OregonAFSCME.org.

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