Dive Brief:
- Portland Community College on Monday reached a tentative deal with its faculty union, bringing the instructors back to the classroom Tuesday and teeing up the formal end to a historic three-week strike.
- The agreement includes higher cost-of-living adjustments, increased college contributions to faculty's health insurance costs, and a one-time stipend for instructors who hold doctoral or terminal degrees.
- On March 25, PCC separately reached a tentative agreement with striking unionized staff members. The union members ratified the deal the next day and returned to work on Monday.
Dive Insight:
PCC's faculty and staff unions, both of which are affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, began their strikes on March 11. The strikes were the first at a community college in Oregon's history.
The combined strikes forced the campus to pivot to remote operations, delayed grades and pushed the beginning of most spring classes back from March 30 to April 6.
Ben Cushing, president of PCC's Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals, called the tentative deal "incredibly strong" in a video posted to social media Tuesday. Voting for the roughly 1,600-member union began at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and will close at the same time Wednesday.
If ratified, union faculty would receive a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for the current academic year, retroactive to Sept. 1. In 2026-27, they would receive a 3% increase.
The increases fall squarely between proposals from each party. The union sought a cost-of-living increase of just over 4%, while PCC had proposed a maximum jump of 0.5%.
If the deal is approved, faculty will also receive a lump sum payment meant to cover their lost wages during the strike, the union said. Full-time faculty will receive $5,475, those labeled as academic professionals will get $5,000, and part-time instructors will receive $1,400.
"This was the longest, most grueling, most punishing round of bargaining we have ever faced — and we faced it together, and we won," the faculty union said in a Monday statement.
PCC President Adrien Bennings expressed more reservations about the deal.
“We are pleased to be moving forward and refocusing on our core mission of educating students and serving our community," Bennings said in a statement. "At the same time, our hearts are heavy because we know that this agreement is so far outside of our budget that it will result in significant additional cuts in the future.”
Throughout the union negotiations, PCC has cited financial hardship and pending state funding cuts. Bennings said in January that the Oregon Legislature could cut up to 5% of PCC’s public funding — about $17.9 million — through the 2027 fiscal year. The college is facing a $37.7 million deficit for the 2025–27 biennium, it said.
In turn, the faculty union accused the college's leadership of using potential cuts to justify a preestablished low offer and failing to budget for union bargaining.
The forthcoming end of PCC's labor action likely won't be the last strike activity Oregon's community colleges see.
A staff union at Central Oregon Community College voted to strike beginning April 2 after negotiations with the college stalled in February.
