Unions tell Portland committee behind‑the‑scenes workers are public‑safety staff and need contract, staffing and overtime fixes

A panel of five labor unions told the Portland City Council’s Community and Public Safety Committee on April 8 that many city employees who do not wear badges or turnouts nonetheless perform essential public‑safety work, and that budget and contract problems are driving uncompensated on‑call shifts, turnover and staffing shortfalls.

The panel included leaders from the City of Portland Professional Workers (CPPW), AFSCME Local 189, the Portland Police Association (PPA), ProTech 17 and the Portland Firefighters Association (PFFA). Carrie Coe, president of the City of Portland Professional Workers, told the committee that “CPPW members perform essential services across nearly every bureau of the city” and described administrative coordinators, analysts and communications staff as part of public‑safety infrastructure.

Why it matters: panelists said budget choices and contract delays are creating operational gaps — from reduced noise‑office hours to understaffed dispatch and patrol — that affect response reliability and worker retention, and that some responses now rely heavily on overtime as a stopgap.

Panel testimony and key claims

Carrie Coe, president of the City of Portland Professional Workers (CPPW), said CPPW members are “the glue or the screws that help hold everything together,” citing coordinators in the Bureau of Emergency Management, victim‑advocate coordinators in the police bureau, and communications staff…