State will not extend contracts of public workers


Oregon labor negotiators have told the top two state workers’ unions that they will not agree to extend existing contracts if a deal isn’t reached by June 30, the end of the current biennium.

Share this article!

Oregon labor negotiators have told the top two state workers’ unions that they will not agree to extend existing contracts if a deal isn’t reached by June 30, the end of the current biennium.

Such extensions have been the norm, as contract talks often stretch beyond the budget year. The move will increase pressure on the unions to come to a final settlement within the next few weeks.

“We will not be agreeing to a contract extension,” said Gail Parnell, chief labor relations spokesperson for the state. “It’s a change. I’m sure it’s something that has happened before, but not for a long time.”

Workers will see little day-to-day difference if the contracts lapse. “Under Oregon law, some things are continued because the law requires a status quo,” Parnell said. Pay and benefits could not be changed immediately.

Read more in today’s Statesman Journal.