Classified Staff at Central Oregon Community College Could Strike for the First Time

The clock is counting down to what could be the first-ever strike of classified union workers at Central Oregon Community College. At an impasse over contract negotiations, the union started a 30-day cool-down period on Feb. 23. After that, the union could vote to authorize a strike at any time, with a 10-day notice. Contract negotiations have been underway since February 2025.

Classified staff includes college counselors, administrative assistants, custodians, library assistants and food service workers, totaling 121 employees. The union says the lowest wage for a member is currently $18.91/hour. It wants to bump that to $27.89/hour by the end of the contract, which it considers a living wage. They want other wages to increase proportionally.

The college disputes that, stating in a news release that it has proposed eliminating the lowest pay rate for each position and removing the current requirement that new employees can only be hired at steps 1-3, which would raise the entry level wage for all bargaining unit positions. COCC also says that no classified employees are currently earning $18.91 per hour. The lowest rate is $19.68, it said, with the top hourly rate currently at $37.44.

COCC provided this chart outlining compensation increases since Fiscal Year 2015-16 for administrators and classified employees.
* The 2016 Classified Wage Study had an average increase of 6.36%, and includes the annual 3.00% July 1 increase
** The 2022 Classified Wage Study had an average increase of 11.57%, and includes a 4% annual increase plus 7.57%, on average, salary study increase
*** The 2024 Administrator Wage Study had an average increase of 16%, and includes a 3.5% annual increase. Credit: COCC

The union claims the average classified worker’s salary has increased by 10% since 2023, while the average administrator’s salary has grown 26% in the same time period. The union alleges that the college board is aggressively growing its reserves instead of spending it on salaries.

In a news release, COCC President Greg Pereira said, “The College has proposed a significant multi-year compensation increase of 18.54% [compounded] over three years, or about $1.5 million. The union’s proposal represents a 55.42% [compounded] increase over that same period, totaling approximately $4.8 million. As a public institution, we must balance compensation with long-term financial stability. We remain committed to reaching an agreement that is financially sustainable and supports the long-term health of the College, as well as affordability for our students.”

In November, the Source reported that COCC anticipates an increase in expenditures due to construction projects at campuses in Redmond and Madras, as well as deferred maintenance needs. Other expenses may be incurred from tariffs and rising interest rates. In 2024 the college adopted a policy that its general fund reserve be a minimum of 29%, which is just over three months of operating expenses. COCC says, “Current projections show reserves below that target, at 14.81% for 2025–26, or less than two months of operating resources.”

Funding comes from the federal and state government, county taxes, tuition and fees, COCC’s Board Chair Erica Skatvold said.

“Over 80% of the college’s expenses are personnel related.”

Since 2021, tuition has accounted for about 33% of the general fund revenue. Discussions about whether tuition will be raised for the 2026-27 academic year are ongoing and usually announced at the April board meeting.

Skatvold says a reserve is needed to ensure the college can remain open during unexpected events. “Our sudden loss of $3 million in federal funding last year was supplemented by the reserve fund so that the College operations and projects could continue to run uninterrupted… we do not anticipate being able to return the fund back to its board-approved size for many years. This is a concern for us as we always want to ensure that the College can continue to run and pay employees in uncertain times.”

“During the cooling-off period we are able and willing to continue mediation with the mediator and the CACOCC/OEA union,” COCC’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations Lucas Alberg told the Source. “We anticipate some scheduled mediation sessions in March to continue to work toward agreement on the collective bargaining agreement.”

Meanwhile, 2,300 union workers at Portland Community College authorized a potential first strike as soon as March 10. If that happens, it would be the first-ever strike at a community college in Oregon according to Portland news outlets. If COCC workers follow suit, they could be on strike by early April.