AFSCME Contract Negotiations

Status of negotiations between AFSCME Local 2064 (The Union) and Benton County management (The County) for a new multi-year contract for County employees represented by Oregon AFSCME
Updated October 24, 2024

Key Dates

For an overview of all bargaining meetings to date, see the detailed negotiation timeline.

January 30, 2024: The Union and The County began negotiating a contract to take effect on July 1, 2024.

January 30 to July 15, 2024: Representatives of both parties met 13 times. Each meeting lasted a minimum of 8 hours.

September 4, 2024: With no agreement on half of the articles in the contract, the two parties began mediation with a mediator assigned by the Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB).

September 30, 2024: mediation session

October 1, 2024: The Union declared an impasse.

October 7, 2024. Final offers and costing submitted to ERB by both parties. A 30-day cooling off period began.

October 15, 2024: mediation session (see meeting summary)

November 1, 2024: next scheduled negotiation session with mediator

November 4, 5, 6: proposed dates for additional meetings

Current Status of Negotiations

A contract has not been approved, and on October 1, 2024, AFSCME Local 2064 declared an impasse. Both parties had seven days to file final offers, also called last best offers (LBOs), with the Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB). Once filed, the LBOs/final offers became part of the public record.

The collective bargaining agreement contains many parts and the two parties have reached agreement on many of them, but not all. There have been numerous discussions of the remaining articles without making headway. Here is the full text of both offers as submitted to the ERB. Please note that agreements have been reached on four articles since these documents were filed. 

Once LBOs/final offers were filed with ERB, a mandatory 30-day cooling-off period began. We are in that period now through November 6, 2024. Progress was made in a mediated negotiation session on October 15. Negotiations will continue during the cooling-off period, and the two parties agreed to meet on November 1 to continue discussions. County management welcomes additional negotiation meetings as needed during this period and beyond.

Why haven’t the two parties reached an agreement? Is one of them refusing to negotiate?

The contract in question includes a preamble and 25 articles. Five of those articles were kept from the previous contract with no changes. Through the negotiation process that began on January 30, 2024, a tentative agreement (TA) was reached on the preamble and eight more articles. Those TAs will be incorporated into the new contract when it is ratified by both parties. During mediation on October 15, the parties reached tentative agreement on four additional articles – Articles 7, 9, 10, and 11.

That leaves 8 articles still to be agreed upon. Both parties have come to the table for a total of 16 negotiation meetings to date—each one lasting at least 8 hours. With more than 130 hours of discussion already invested in negotiations, it is clear both parties are committed to the process and willing to talk.

The two parties are close to consensus on most of the articles, but two of them continue to be sticking points. Below are the two articles the sides continue to search for common ground:

Article 18: Safety

Article 13: Wages & Salaries

Next Steps

Negotiation meetings will continue. If an agreement is not reached, the Union may strike after a 10-day notice period. Benton County management recognize and respect this legal right. While we do not want or expect employees to strike, preparations are being made in the event it happens so we can continue to serve the public. The County Administrator and Assistant County Administrator are working with all departments to prepare plans to continue serving citizens with the County employees who are not represented by AFSCME.

What would a strike mean for County employees?

As much as managers and supervisors want to answer all their employees’ questions, the County does not have access to AFSCME bylaws or strike information. County employees do not receive pay and are not eligible for unemployment during a strike. County management urges every represented employee to talk to their Union representative and find out if and when they can be reimbursed for lost wages, what percentage of lost wages can be reimbursed, and what to expect if they choose to work in spite of a strike. Any Union employee would be welcome to work if they choose to, without discrimination or judgment from management.

All County employees can access a list of strike FAQs on The BEE (County employee intranet site).

What would a strike mean for the public?

Benton County will continue providing services to the best of its ability. We will strive for continuity of services, but reduced service levels and hours are likely. That information will be available on the County website and social media channels if a strike is announced.

Law enforcement would not be affected by a strike because sworn law enforcement officers are not represented by AFSCME, but other functions within the Sheriff’s Office could be affected.