Oregon approves contracts with fire, police

       Oregon City Council approved contracts with three fire and police unions at a committee of the whole meeting on Monday. The contracts will go before city council at its next meeting for final approval.
        The contracts were with the Oregon Police Command Officers/Fraternal Order of Police, the Oregon Police Patrolmen’s Association, and Oregon Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 4093.
        The previous collective bargaining agreement between the city and full-time Firefighters Association Local 4093, the Police Command Officers/Fraternal Order of Police, and the Police Patrolmen’s Association expired on June 30, 2021.
        The contracts cover the period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024.
        Mayor Mike Seferian said a fourth contract with the AFSCME union is expected to be on next week’s council agenda.
        “We’re very close,” he said of the negotiations. “We’re pleased we’ve been able to come this far.”
 
Raises
        City Administrator Mike Beazley said the unions received no raises last year.
        “Last year was the first time the contracts were up. We agreed to look at this as if they were four year agreements. These contracts have salary increases of 2.39 percent raise per year for four years. In light of the labor force market, we feel good about that. In the collective bargaining process, each side, if it’s done right, walks away a little happy and a little unhappy. I think it sums up where we are this year.”
        He said it will help draw more potential employees into the city workforce.
        “Management would always like to give less in the contracts, but we do need, ultimately, to hire good workers. And that is becoming more of a challenge for all of us as we look at them.”
        He asked council members to review the contracts before next week’s council meeting, when they are expected to vote on them.
        “Take a look at the details of these contracts over the next week. If you have questions for us, get them to us. We’ll make sure we’ll deal with it by the time it comes to a vote next week.”
       
Fair deal
        The city expects to bring in the AFSCME contract next week, he added.
        “It’s been a process of a good give-and-take. We feel good about it. It’s fair for the taxpayers and fair for the workforce.”
        It will also allow the city, he added, to beef up its workforce, as fewer people are looking for jobs with the city.
        “It has been an interesting time. We have fewer and fewer people coming in to take the civil service test for us. That’s something that affects all of us. Oregon has a tradition of being what is called `a terminal employer’ – we like people to come and stay here. The cost of hiring and replacing workers is significant. We like to keep the ones we get. We want to get it right and keep them. We want to remain competitive. We believe these are competitive contracts that will be a good balance between the taxpayers and the workforce,” he said.