Central Oregon Community College (COCC) confirmed that the Classified Association of COCC (CACOCC/OEA) has voted to authorize a strike, with the earliest possible strike date of April 2, 2026, if an agreement is not reached. According to COCC:
Negotiations between the College and the union, which represents custodians, administrative assistants, enrollment staff and other hourly positions, have been ongoing for more than a year and continue under Oregon’s public collective bargaining framework.
“We respect the right of our classified employees to participate in this process,” said Greg Pereira, COCC president. “COCC remains committed to reaching an agreement that is fair, sustainable and supports the long-term health of the College and the students we serve.”
The College does not currently anticipate any impact to essential student services. The College fully expects financial aid refunds, veteran benefits, advising, food service and other key support services will remain fully operational. Classes and other College activities are expected to continue with limited to no disruption.
While a strike has been authorized, negotiations are ongoing and mediation is expected to continue in the days leading up to April 2. Currently, two additional mediation sessions are scheduled on March 30 and April 1.
As part of those negotiations, the College’s most recent proposal would result in a wage and step increase of 19.1%, totaling a budget increase of $2 million over a 3-year contract period, including additional benefits and changes designed to increase entry-level wages and support employees. The union’s proposal represents a significantly higher increase, with substantially greater long-term budget impacts.
As a public institution, COCC must balance meaningful compensation increases with long-term financial sustainability to ensure continued access, affordability and stability for students and the communities it serves.
“Our mission at COCC is to serve our community by ensuring equitable and accessible lifelong education to our students,” Erica Skatvold, COCC board of directors chair said. “A strike has the potential to significantly impact the College’s day-to-day operations and the many services our students rely on to be successful. We are putting plans in place to maintain essential operations and support services to minimize the disruption to our current and incoming students until we are able to reach an agreement. We remain committed to negotiating as we work toward an agreement that both honors our commitments to our staff, students and the community.”
Although COCC would strongly prefer a strike not occur on or after April 2, it is important to note that COCC will continue to operate in as near normal manner as possible by hiring temporary replacement employees and subcontractors to do the work normally performed by striking employees. The College will continue to coordinate with local police agencies to ensure that any picket activity that will occur will be done lawfully and peacefully and will not disrupt COCC operations for its students, visitors and non-striking employees.
COCC will continue to provide updates to students, employees and the community as negotiations progress. For more information and updates, please visit: https://cocc.edu/
