City of Corvallis Workers, Community Members Fill City Council Meeting to Demand Fair Contract

CORVALLIS, OR – The Corvallis City Council meeting on Monday was filled with City of Corvallis workers, represented by Oregon AFSCME Local 2975, who have been on strike since October 14th. Dozens more workers filled the indoor overflow area, chanting during the nearly three-hour meeting.

During the public comment section, Local 2975 members were joined by many Corvallis residents who spoke in support of striking workers and demanded that the City Council work with city management to reach an agreement to end the strike. Workers gave powerful testimony about their service to the community and the struggles they face as costs of living in Corvallis continue to rise. Over half of city workers do not live within Corvallis city limits because they can’t afford to.

After the public comment session, Councilor Charlyn Ellis made a motion to bring the Council back into executive session at the conclusion of the meeting to discuss the union’s contract. Councilor Briae Lewis and Councilor Alison Bowden were the only other council members who voted in favor of the motion. The motion failed, and Council will not meet again to discuss the contract until Thursday at the earliest.

While some of the City Council members refused to extend the executive session to discuss the ongoing work stoppage, they did find the votes to give City Manager Mark Shepard a 4% cost-of-living adjustment, which passed with Councilor Ellis as the only “no” vote.

“We were absolutely shocked that the City Council would vote to give Mark Shepard a raise, while we’re out on strike because we can’t get a fair contract,” said Evan Newton, AFSCME Local 2975 President. “The City Manager makes a quarter of a million dollars a year. Most of our members are struggling to make ends meet. It’s beyond insulting at this point, it's a dereliction of duty.”

Tensions between management and city workers have continued to grow, coming to a head on Monday morning when a member of city management was given a criminal citation for assaulting a picketer who was participating in protected, legal activity, with their vehicle at the Corvallis Public Works compound.

The union bargaining team will meet with management for another mediation session on Wednesday, October 21st.