To do before November 9
- Defer mortgage or rent payments
- Contact lender, landlord, or maintenance company for more information
- Apply for Unemployment Benefits
- Request a payment arrangement for a sewer, stormwater, water bill
- Extend NW Natural Gas bill
- Extend Pacific Power electricity bill
- Extend PGE bill
- Skip or defer car payment
- Defer student loan payment
- Pause or defer college payment
- Reach out to college financial department ASAP
Personal Strike Fund
- Look at your finances now and determine if you have current savings to set aside now that can be used to cover future expenses during a strike.
- October 2026 is a 3 paycheck month, consider if you can set aside one of those paychecks specifically for expenses during a strike.
- Talk with your family to let them know about the possible strike and how it might impact finances. Having the support of our family and friends will help us stay strong if things become stressful.
- Many of the resources below require advance conversations with institutions. Make time to map out what you might need and have those conversations sooner than later.
Unemployment benefits
Oregon now allows limited unemployment insurance benefits of up to 10 weeks for eligible striking workers after a two-week waiting period. Benefits are not automatic, do not begin immediately, and do not fully replace wages. The state system can be burdensome and take weeks to get logged in especially if you’ve moved since you last applied.
Visit our Unemployment benefits page for all the details.
Emergency funds through CPPW
Your union is working to put together a Strike Hardship Fund meant to offer help to members who experience a financial emergency during a strike. Members will need to apply for these funds. The processes for application, review, and decision-making are still being developed. This fund will not replace member wages.
Food Resources
Deferring payments on loans or rent
Mortgage and car loan payments
Many banks will allow you to skip a payment or make a lower payment on your house or car with advance notice. Contact your bank to determine if you can lower or skip a payment and find out if there are penalties involved.
Childcare providers and childcare centers
Children are welcome on the strike line!
Contact your childcare providers and childcare centers early. They may allow you to set up a payment plan for a short-term need or provide other flexibility with the timing of payments.
Student loan payments
Many student loan carriers will allow you to put your loan in deferment for a short period of time if you are not able to make payments. Contact your loan carrier for more information.
Rent payments
Some landlords will allow you to pay later in the month or pay a smaller amount if you have extenuating financial circumstances.
All landlords must provide adequate notice and an opportunity to pay any unpaid rent before starting eviction proceedings. This usually consists of a notice and demand for payment. The notice will provide at least 10 days to pay rent (after rent was due). If rent is not paid, additional notices and proceedings occur, allowing the tenant additional time to pay.
The Oregon Community Alliance of Tenants is a good local resource for more information on this topic.
Borrowing from retirement plan, bank, or credit union
Borrowing from a retirement plan
You cannot borrow from the City’s PERS pension plan for a strike.
For anything to do with your retirement accounts, always contact your investment broker, bank, or other financial expert for full details before taking any actions.
- If you have money in a Roth IRA, you may be able to withdraw from your original contribution tax and penalty free. There are stipulations.
- If you have an IRA, you may be able to transfer that money out if you replace it within 60 days. There are stipulations.
- If you have a deferred compensation plan in place as a supplemental retirement benefit or from another employer, you may be able to borrow from it. There may be penalties attached to this action.
Credit unions or banks
Individuals may consider using lines of credit to help cover expenses while on strike.
Personal lines of credit (PLOC) or home equity lines of credit (HELOC) often have lower interest and fees than using cash advances on credit cards.
Refinancing auto loans or other debt can also be part of a financial plan. Many credit unions and banks allow up to 60 days until the first payment on a line of credit is due, which can help in the short term if your income is temporarily impacted. This 60-day time period is fairly common among lending institutions.