Short-term challenges for long-term gain
Your Bargaining Team’s goal – always – is a fair and strong contract. Building up to a strike and striking are two powerful tools in our toolbox to secure a strong contract.
Your union leadership understands a strike will be hard, stressful, and force difficult decisions. That isn’t taken lightly. We are right there with you & other members who may face challenging short term financial situations in order to secure greater long term stability. It will not be easy, but we can only do this together.
Members have said it best themselves: “I can’t afford to strike. But I can’t afford not to strike.”
No matter what, we must be prepared.
With that in mind, let’s dig into the fiscal reality of a strike, resources available, and the financials of the contract that impact our future security.
Important Note: Strikes are, by their nature, unpredictable and the future is unknowable. Nothing in this message is a promise, nor is it intended to be exact or prescriptive. We are offering this information to help frame the choices we have broadly.
Short-term Fiscal Realities of a Strike
If CPPW members go on strike, here is some information about how our paychecks will be affected.
There is no pay while we are on strike.
If the only way to secure real wage increases is to go on strike, then the prospect of lifetime earnings losses may outweigh the immediate possibility of unpaid time while on strike. If we win a strong contract with real wage increases, the gains in the long run are likely greater than wages lost.
However, as a union, there are also alternatives we can fight for.
A strong enough strike means we can bargain to be paid for those striking days.
That must be negotiated with the City and is not guaranteed.
Back pay for strike days would require an incredibly powerful strike with nearly every member participating! A weak strike with low member participation means we are less likely to come out with a strong settlement.
An Example: The recent strike at Portland Community College (PCC) saw two unions strike at the same time.
One union settled more quickly and did not receive back pay for striking members.
The other union stayed on strike longer, specifically maintaining their strike, in part, until PCC agreed to back pay for striking workers. They were successful and won back pay for striking workers.
It was an incredibly difficult decision—and there are no guarantees—but different outcomes are possible depending on how visible, broad, and complete the strike stays over time.
A few things to keep in mind…
October is a three-payday month
Can you put aside that third paycheck to support costs you might have during the strike? Paydays: Oct. 1, Oct. 15, and Oct. 29.
Pay impacts are delayed
You will not notice a decrease in income in the early days of any strike, because the City of Portland has a staggered timesheet calendar. If you go on strike in early or mid-November, the earliest payday you could notice an impact is Nov. 12.
Contract ratification and retroactive pay
Both the City and CPPW wages proposals include retroactive pay to July 1, 2026 for COLA. CPPW also has a proposal for retroactive pay for wage increases. Contract implementation takes time, retroactive pay will not be immediately available, but it is part of the financial picture.
You can get a rough estimate of how much your back pay for COLA may be by multiplying your gross pay amount by 3% and then multiplying that by the number of paychecks since July 1, 2026 (about 9). For example (on $100,000 salary): $3,846 gross pay x .03 x 9 = $1,038.
The likelihood of some retroactive pay after the contract is settled may be useful as part of your financial planning during the strike.
What you can do: make a plan
See the financial resources page and unemployment benefits page for more suggestions on setting yourself up for less financial hardship.
Some common sense tips:
- Talk about the possible strike with family and friends so that your community understands your situation.
- Delay as many purchases in October as you can.
- Plan to save money now for bills that are due in late November or early December
- Call your mortgage company, landlord, or other bill holders to inform them of potential disruption to your income, they may work with you on a delayed payment or different payment plan.
Long-term Wage Increases Over Time
Many CPPW members are career public servants. We are committed to our work and our communities. Nearly 40% of CPPW members have been working at the City for 10 or more years.
The impact of a singular wage increase on your lifetime earnings is significant.
The City’s final offer was no wage increases for 2 years. Zero.
They are only offering cost of living adjustments (COLA) to keep up with inflation (barely). Meanwhile, as part of “core services realignment” there are managers who got massive raises, from 17%-84% on the high-end.
CPPW has proposed a bargaining position of wage increases of 3.5% (FY 26-27) and 4.5% (FY 27-28). This is in addition to baseline COLA to keep up with inflation.
What will these contract proposals mean in real dollars?
Accepting only COLAs now may mean a loss of over $200,000 in earnings over the next 20 years.
For example, a member earning $100,000 annually would gain $12,259 more in their bank account over the current and next fiscal year with CPPW’s offer vs. the City’s with only COLAs.
Over time, the disparity would grow. In 20 years, just these two proposed wage increases (along with basic COLAs), would mean the member earned $220,974 more than if we accept the City’s offer for COLAs only.
Examples: Salary Growth Chart
For illustration purposes only, the following tables demonstrate compounding growth over the years.
Table 1. COLA only
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 5 | Year 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting annual salary | $100,000 | $103,000 | – | – |
| 3% COLA (applies July 1) | $3,000 | $3,090 | 3% continues annually | 3% continues annually |
| Annual salary after COLA | $103,000 | $106,090 | $115,927 | $180,611 |
Table 2. COLA & Wage Increases (WI)
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 5 | Year 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting annual salary | $100,000 | $106,605 | – | – |
| 3% COLA (applies July 1) | $3,000 | $3,198 | 3% continues annually | 3% continues annually |
| CPPW WI (applies July 15) | $3,605 (3.50% CPPW WI) | $4,941 (4.50% CPPW WI) | Assumes no additional WI | Assumes no additional WI |
| Annual salary after COLA + WI | $106,605 | $114,744 | $125,384 | $195,344 |
Table 3. Difference in earnings between COLA Only and COLA + WI
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 5 | Year 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth each year | $3,605 | $8,654 | $9,457 | $14,733 |
| Cummulative | $3,605 | $12,259 | $39,811 | $220,974 |