PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Portland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to extend bargaining over the next Portland Police Association contract for a year to increase public involvement in the negotiations.
Negotiations over the next contract with the union that represents rank-and-file Portland Police Bureau employees started in January but have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, KOIN-TV reported.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, who also is in charge of the bureau, pushed for the extension, saying public interest in reforming the contract to increase police accountability is at an all-time high.
The union agreed to forgo the cost of living adjustment scheduled for July 1, allowing the city to save $3 million in next year’s budget, while resuming negotiations in January 2021.
Wheeler said the extension also will allow new state laws that will affect the contract to take effect.
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