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Dive Brief:
- Unionized faculty and staff at Portland Community College went on strike Wednesday over contract negotiation disputes over pay and benefits. It comes amid a potential cut in state funding and recent budget reductions.
- The Oregon college pivoted to remote operations in preparation for the strike, telling those whose classes were not meeting online because of the strike that they would not be penalized.
- The unions accused the college of closing campus to prevent “an inspiring walkout.” A PCC spokesperson said the college decided to move operations online to keep its campuses safe while it determines how many resources it has available to support a return to physical classes.
Dive Insight:
On a union website dedicated to the strike, both faculty and staff unions told members not to attend classes or meetings, submit grades, write emails or make updates in the college’s online learning system beginning at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The two unions — one representing faculty and academic professionals and the other representing noninstructional staff — are both chapters of the American Federation of Teachers.
Some 2,300 employees across both unions are affected by the strikes, according to PCC. But the college hasn’t determined how many are striking or how many classes have been affected so far.
Union negotiators “have informed us that they are not available until Monday” to reopen talks, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Wednesday afternoon.
Members authorized strikes by wide voting margins late last month, setting March 11 as the earliest possible date for a strike.
“The strike authorization vote was not just a procedural step, it was a powerful act of collective organizing,” the faculty union said at the time. It has since accused the college of union-busting activities and improperly asking employees to self-report their strike participation.
The unions are pushing for bigger cost-of-living increases and improved benefits, which would be in addition to regular raises outlined in the union contracts that end next year.
The college has proposed a 0.35% to 0.5% additional salary increase for the 2026-27 academic year, which it said is based on state funding levels. The unions are seeking increases of over 3.5% to account for cost-of-living hikes.
Under the union contract, members are set to receive 3% to 3.5% increases in addition to any cost-of-living raises regardless of the negotiation outcome, according to the college.
“Bargaining is occurring during a challenging financial period for higher education, driven by enrollment declines and reduced public funding,” the college said on its web page devoted to the negotiations.
Oregon could cut up to $17.9 million, or 5%, from PCC’s public funding through the 2027 fiscal year, college President Adrien Bennings said in January. “When this happens, the College will be facing an immediate cash flow problem and will need to act swiftly,” she said.
But the unions allege the college is using the potential state cuts as an excuse not to bargain in good faith.
“Despite public claims of uncertainty, their position is already set,” it said.
In a February open letter, Bennings said the college has slashed $14.7 million from its budget to balance it for the current fiscal period. She highlighted cuts to executive, management and vacant positions, as well as to salary for higher-level employees, that were meant to “protect our hardworking instructional and student service teams.”
However, the unions criticized the college leaders later that month for outsized pay increases for managers in recent years and a budget that they described as “absolutely bloated by upper level administrator salaries,” with average salaries well over $100,000 for managers and other upper-level administrators.
The college is also phasing out its gerontology academic programs and has discussed cutting a handful of other offerings, including music and criminal justice. The cuts have sparked dismay among some students.
Oregon lawmakers are expected to make a final decision on the college’s funding in March.
The budget pressures have followed enrollment declines at the college. Between 2019 and 2024, its fall headcount fell by nearly 25% to 20,861 students, according to federal data.
