City Workers Voting on Strike Today and Monday

UPDATE: Laborers Local 483 authorizes strike.

By AARON MESH

UPDATE, 6:50 pm: Members of Laborers Local 483 have authorized a strike. 

Erica Askin, business manager for Local 483, tells WW that 95 percent of the 580 city workers in the union voted in favor of authorizing a strike. 

The vote comes after the City of Portland rejected the latest contract offer from the District Council of Trade Unions earlier today.

The other union making up the majority of the DCTU, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 75, will vote Monday on a strike.

ORIGINAL POST, 12:25 pm: City workers with Laborers Local 483 are voting today on whether to authorize a strike.

The vote by more than 580 city workers—including most maintenance crews—is likely a bellwether for strike authorization by the District Council of Trade Unions. The DCTU is a coalition of the city's largest labor unions, representing more than 1,600 workers.

"I think it will definitely give people the confidence to do it," says Erica Askin, business manager for Local 483. "It's definitely a huge step in that direction. It's a huge confidence booster."

Local 483 is one of seven unions represented by DCTU. Last month, union members rejected a contract negotiated with the city by union leadership, setting the stage for a possible Portland workers' strike.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 75—the largest of the DCTU unions, slightly bigger than Local 483—is voting Monday whether to authorize a strike. 

WW examined the breakdown in contract negotiations in February.

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