On Tuesday at 11:30 am, Benton County forwarded its AFSCME affiliated union employees an updated offer – it expired at 5 pm. The union has said they will begin their strike today.
The County has released their current plans for operations during the strike, and the anticipated impacts on the public. They have also released the terms of their last offer to the union.
County services during the strike
Emergency Operations Center
To prepare for a possible strike, the County is operationalizing a Labor Disruption Emergency Operation Center (EOC) to support all departments in delivering essential County services to the community. These have been identified as those that protect the life, health and safety of community members, and/or, those required by local, state or federal law. All other services will be considered secondary and will be provided as capacity becomes available.
Communications
Benton County will provide information about the outcome of Tuesday’s negotiations and, in the event of a strike, daily updates on the availability of services:
- WEBSITE: The webpage you are currently viewing will be updated daily.
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and X
- CALL CENTER: The main County phone line, 541-766-6800, will be forwarded to the EOC call center open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
- MEDIA: The County says it will be sending press releases, but we haven’t seen one yet.
Service Levels and Hours
To support the successful delivery of essential services, county facilities will continue to be operational from 8 am to 5 pm. If a strike begins, service hours for the public will be 10 am to 4 pm unless stated otherwise. Here is a summary of what can be expected by the public:
Law Enforcement Services
Hours: 24/7 (no change)
- Operations will continue as normal, including patrol and investigation, jail operations, parole/probation, and emergency services.
- The Concealed Handgun Licensing (CHL) Permitting Program will be suspended until additional capacity becomes available.
Justice Services
The District Attorney’s Office will continue to provide essential services focused on protecting the public from crime and the statutory responsibility of responding to all corresponding legal matters arising in Benton County.
Public Health, Behavioral Health, Developmental Diversity, and Community Health Centers
- The Johnson Dental Clinic located at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis will be closed. All patients for this site will be either rescheduled or redirected to an alternate site.
- All other locations will be open during the adjusted services hours: 10 am to 4 pm.
Property Taxes (payment deadline November 15!)
- Property tax collection services will continue to be provided in-person in the Kalapuya Building from 10 am to 4 pm.
- There is a tax payment drop box in the parking lot of the Kalapuya Building.
Benton Area Transit
No change. The service will be fully operational, including public bus service and transportation options for seniors and people with disabilities. Schedules are available online.
Juvenile Department (Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment)
- Juvenile Department supervision services for youth and families will continue as normal.
- School-based groups, work crew and mental health services will be suspended until additional capacity is available.
Emergency Response
Services will continue to be a priority for issues that might occur with the County’s water and/or sewer utility service districts.
County Road Maintenance
Operations will be focused solely on responding to emergency situations that jeopardize the safe and seamless transportation of the community.
County Clerk Operations and Licensing
- The Benton County Clerk will continue to perform the required duties and responsibilities outlined in Oregon law and ensure voter registration and election activities are maintained.
- New requests for marriage, dog, and domestic partnership licensing, as well as U.S. passport acceptance services, will be suspended or, as applicable, limited and directed to other jurisdictional service providers.
Benton County Fairgrounds
- The fairgrounds and other recreational and camping sites will remain open, and existing reservations will be honored.
- Scheduling for new events or reservations will be limited until there is capacity to provide appropriate services.
County-Operated Parks
- Parks will remain OPEN, but public restrooms will be CLOSED.
- Available staff will be deployed for general park clean up, security checks, and responding to emergency situations.
Land Use Planning and Building Permits
- Primary focus: statutory requirements related to the review, processing, and approval of building permits and land use applications, as well as any issues that may arise that risk public health and safety of the county.
- Services (permits, applications, etc.) will be limited.
Fleet and Public Works Services
- The Public Works building and fuel station at 360 SW Avery Ave. in Corvallis will be closed to the public.
- Services to county and regional governmental partners for the acquisition, maintenance, and repair of emergency response vehicles will be suspended. All current customers have been notified they will need to identify alternative services during the period of a strike.
Public Board Meetings
See the online Board Event Calendar for meeting schedules and agendas during this developing situation.
The terms offered by the County on Tuesday
In addition to other provisions, the County offered the following:
- An initial payment of $2,000 to every AFSCME employee upon ratification of the contract.
- Three additional steps (steps 9, 10, and 11) added to salary schedules to create room for future wage growth and adjust the overall pay grade ranges (i.e. percentage difference between the lowest and highest step) to align with non-represented employee pay grade ranges.
- A 5% increase upon ratification for all C-band employees.
- Annual wage increases for all AFSCME employees:
- 5% increase upon ratification of the contract.
- 3% increases in the second and third years of the contract.
- Additional contributions to employees’ Health Savings Accounts to match all employee HSA contributions up to $500. This is on top of the County’s current contributions: $800 a year for those with individual health insurance plans and $1,400 for individual + family plans.
All represented employees who have been at step 8 of their pay grade since July 1, 2023, will receive an automatic step up to step 9 prior to the wage increases outlined above. For example, C-band employees at step 8 would see a pay increase of about 13% upon ratification of the contract following the step up.
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