Corvallis City Workers Are Fighting For The Contract They've Earned

On May 14th, the streets in front of Corvallis City Hall were filled with green. City of Corvallis workers, the people who patch the roads, maintain the parks, stock bookshelves, process permits, and show up every single day to serve their neighbors, marched to send a clear message to city leadership: we will not accept a contract that fails to respect our work and our loyalty to our community.

These workers, represented by Oregon AFSCME Local 2975, make Corvallis a great place to live and work. They have spent years, and in many cases decades, building and maintaining the infrastructure of daily life in this city. They are not asking for anything extraordinary. They are asking for wages that keep pace with the cost of living, recognition for their years of service, and basic protections when their work puts them in harm's way. Instead, city management has rejected many important proposals the union has put forward.

The Math Isn’t Mathing

The City has offered a 3% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in the first year of the new contract, but they have also proposed that City workers absorb a 3% increase in healthcare premium costs, which is a net wage increase of zero. According to CPI data, Corvallis is one of the most rent-burdened cities in the entire state, with the majority of renters paying over half their monthly income for housing. For workers already stretched thin by inflation and housing costs, the City’s offer is not only inadequate, it’s insulting. 

"Philosophically Opposed" to Loyalty

However, the most insulting position city management has taken is their stance on longevity pay. When presented with a proposal to compensate long-serving employees for their years of dedication, city leadership responded that they are “philosophically opposed” to the idea.

This is the City's position on workers who have given 10, 15, 20, even 30 years of their lives to Corvallis. Many of these employees are approaching retirement in the next few years. When it comes time to replace them, what is the incentive for new hires to provide the same level of dedication? Longevity pay isn't a radical demand, it's a standard and widely recognized way of honoring workers who have dedicated their careers to public service. The City's refusal to even consider it sends a message to every long-tenured employee: your years of service to our community don't matter. 

From the Brink of Decertification to 70% Strong

The story of this local is one of remarkable resilience. Just a few years ago, Local 2975 was fighting for its very survival. Membership had eroded. Workers had lost faith in the power of collective action, and the local entered into an administratorship under the control of AFSCME International.

What turned it around wasn't a single dramatic moment. It was relationship-building. Local leaders made a deliberate, sustained effort to connect workers across departments, rebuild trust, and remind members why the union exists and what it can accomplish when people stand together. They held conversations across job classifications, brought workers together who had never met despite working in the same city, and slowly rebuilt a culture of solidarity.

The result speaks for itself. Today, Local 2975 heads into mediation with 70% union membership — an achievement that demonstrates how far they’ve come and how far they’re willing to go to get what they deserve. 

Taking It to the Streets

Their determination was on full display on May 14th. Nearly 100 workers rallied in front of Corvallis City Hall, then marched through the streets of the community they serve. They carried signs. They chanted. Local 2975 President Evan Newton addressed the crowd with the conviction of someone who has watched this union rise from its lowest point to one of its strongest:

 “Management has their philosophy, we have ours. Ours is to fight for what’s fair for our members. That includes adequate pay for the excellent city services we run. It includes affordable health care. We want strong career paths for new employees and to cherish our long-term workers. We want dignity and respect. We’re taking a stand and we won’t back down, because when we fight, we win!”

What Comes Next

The local is now heading for mediation, and the eyes of the community are watching. The workers of Corvallis deserve wages that recognize their work, protection when that work puts them at risk, and compensation for the decades they have invested in public service.

City leadership still has an opportunity to do the right thing. They can choose to come to the table in good faith and offer a contract that doesn't quietly take away with one hand what it gives with the other. The workers of Local 2975 will be there, ready to negotiate, and ready to keep fighting if necessary.