Portland Community College announced Wednesday that it will be operating remotely, as hundreds of PCC faculty and classified staff announced they will strike over stalled contract negotiations.

“If your instructor is not striking, your class will likely continue to meet,” the school alert reads. “Some classes may meet online using Zoom, and others may work independently online during the strike ... If you do not hear from your instructor, your class may be impacted by the strike.”

The unions plan to strike at 10:30 a.m. at all four campuses in the Portland metro area.

PCC and its two unions have been negotiating over compensation and other benefits for nearly a year. But all sides have been stuck on salary increases and how much the college has to spare for such increases, for months.

Neither union has gone on strike before. This is the first strike to occur among any of the state’s 17 community colleges.

No matter how long the strike lasts, it will surely be disruptive to the more than 30,000 students who study at PCC, Oregon’s largest higher education institution.

PCC’s Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals and the Federation of Classified Employees declared an impasse on Jan. 30. About three weeks later, both unions’ members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike.

At about 11:30 Tuesday night, members of PCCFCE announced they would go on strike.

PCCFFAP represents teaching faculty and other academic staff. It has around 1,600 members.

PCCFCE includes close to 700 college support workers like administrative assistants, front desk clerks, IT staff, custodians and public safety officers.

Both unions are demanding wage bumps that keep up with yearly inflation. But PCC officials have said the college must weigh the needs of its faculty and staff with the increasing economic uncertainties surrounding the institution, including declining enrollment forecasts and a nearly $21 million projected budget deficit.

The two unions are bargaining over economics in the final two years of separate four-year contracts. In February, the last, best and final offers from all sides showed that they were still far from an agreement.

The classified union sought a 3% increase for the third year of its contract and then a 3.5% increase in the final year. Meanwhile, the faculty union aimed for a 4.25% bump for year three of its contract and then a 4.5% increase in the last year.

PCC had previously offered a “structure increase” of 0.35% to 0.5%, noting that when combined with already agreed upon annual salary “step” increases, staff compensation would increase up to 4%.

The college’s offer was also dependent on possible cuts to statewide education funding. But Gov. Tina Kotek said late last month that cuts to the state’s higher education institutions were off the table.

The strike comes at a precarious time for faculty and students Final exams for PCC’s winter term begin next week.

“We are actively preparing to ensure continuity in instruction, advising, financial aid support, and other essential services so that our students’ academic progress stays on track,” said PCC spokesman James Hill in an email.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/11/portland-community-college-faculty-staff-union-strike/