Clackamas County reached an agreement with its largest employee union, the Clackamas County Employee Association, just days before a potential strike. The union, representing over 1,300 employees, had been negotiating for a new contract for over a year. The final agreement includes a 4.1% pay increase retroactive to the nine months when employees were without a contract, as well as cost of living adjustments and back pay. The contract also addresses vacation accruals and offers better options for cashing out vacation time. However, the county did not agree to the union’s requests for increased sick leave and vacation accrual.
Negotiations intensified in December when the county threatened to increase employees’ monthly insurance premiums significantly. After the union filed a complaint with the state employment board, the county agreed to reimburse the union for the insurance hikes and lower the rates back to $88 per month. The negotiations reached an impasse in February, leading to mediation by the Oregon Employment Relations Board.
The county and union both submitted final offers, entering a 30-day cooling off period. Despite rejecting a new proposal from the county in March, employees voted to authorize a strike. However, an agreement was reached on Friday before the strike could occur. The terms of the agreement, including wage back pay and insurance reimbursements, are still undisclosed. County officials expressed gratitude to the union leadership for their efforts and stated that the agreement was fair and mutually beneficial. The contract is set to be signed on Tuesday.
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