Posts tagged cost of living
PCC, classified employees union reach tentative deal that could end strike for 700 workers
March 26, 2026 // Portland Community College and its Federation of Classified Employees union have reached a tentative agreement that could end a strike involving about 700 classified employees and move the college closer to resuming normal operations. The tentative agreement, posted at 6:18 p.m. March 25, includes a 0% cost-of-living adjustment for this year and a 5% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026-27. Classified employees also would receive a $1,350 lump-sum payment upon ratification on the next payroll cycle and would be able to cash out up to 40 vacation hours.
New group of Alexandria City workers vote to unionize
March 25, 2026 // As new negotiations gear up in Alexandria, public workers and unions around the state are waiting to see what Spanberger does with the public-sector collective bargaining bill that the General Assembly passed. The bill would remove the collective bargaining ban on local government, school board, and state employees. Currently, local government and school board employees only have the right to collective bargaining if their employers pass resolutions allowing them to do so. The bill would also extend collective bargaining rights to home care providers and service workers at public universities. The bill excludes university full-time professors, adjuncts, and librarians. These workers are waiting to see if Spanberger adds them back to the bill or makes other changes.
Thousands of workers strike at one of the largest meatpacking plants in the US
March 16, 2026 // As the sun rose, employees picketed outside the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, one of the largest slaughterhouses in the nation that’s owned by JBS USA. Walking back and forth in the morning cold, bundled in blankets, some yelled “huelga!” — Spanish for “strike.” Others waved signs encouraging people to not buy from JBS. The first walkout at a U.S. beef slaughterhouse in four decades follows accusations from union officials that the company retaliated against workers and committed other unfair labor practices. They said the company offered wage increases of less than 2% annually, which is below Colorado’s inflation rate.
For Portland Community College students, the fallout from ongoing strike is ‘visible everywhere’
March 16, 2026 // Al-Amreeki and others described mounting fear for some students over financial pressures, given uncertainty over when and how student aid packages will be processed or when they can return to campus jobs, given the college shutdown. Portland Community College says it is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon, with more than 50,000 full-time and part-time students, including thousands who take non-credit courses. Nearly half of its students are non-white, and about 40% are over the age of 25; most work and support their families while attending the school.
Portland Community College faculty and staff commence historic strike over wages
March 12, 2026 // PCC and its two unions have been negotiating over compensation and other benefits for nearly a year. But all sides have been stuck for months on salary increases and how much the college has to spare for such increases. Neither union has gone on strike before. This is the first strike to occur among any of the state’s 17 community colleges.
Willamette Week: Impending PCC strikes might be testing ground for new benefits law
March 10, 2026 // Last year Oregon became the first state in the nation to pass controversial legislation allowing workers on strike to collect unemployment benefits. The law went into effect Jan. 1. Two unions of employees working at Portland Community College could go on strike next week.
Wave of California teacher strikes ‘is no coincidence’
March 4, 2026 // Thousands of California K-12 teachers have walked off their jobs or voted to strike in the past few months, as part of a strategic, statewide effort by the California Teachers Association to boost salaries and benefits — and get the public’s attention. “All these districts going out on strike — it’s not a coincidence at all,” said David Goldberg, president of the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union. “Everywhere in the state there are people with unmet needs. The conditions have been ripe for a long time.”
Wage Disagreements: Workers at homeless services nonprofit join DTLA-based union
February 24, 2026 // The union is one of the largest in Southern California, with more than 100,000 members. It represents employees in sectors such as foster care, mental health and law enforcement, including workers with Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and Step Up on Second.
No love lost at JBS: Greeley meatpackers spend Valentine’s Day preparing to strike
February 17, 2026 // Workers vote 99% to authorize a walkout, saying what they want most is safety and respect as talks resume Friday, Feb. 20
SF Ghirardelli workers hold Valentine’s Day strike outside iconic chocolate and ice cream shop
February 17, 2026 // Employees picketed all day Saturday at Ghirardelli's longtime ice cream and chocolate shop at Ghirardelli Square. Union workers want a new contract with better wages and the ability to keep their current union health plan. The one-day picket line got lots of attention outside Ghirardelli's famous chocolate and ice cream shop. It's no coincidence this labor action is happening on one of the busiest days for chocolate.