PAT Financial Supports

Learn more about the benefits striking members can receive.

PAT Strike Benefits ➤

We are striking to ensure the district meets our demands so that every Portland student can attend a great public school.

Together with our supportive community, we will ensure our picket lines are impossible to ignore. Read on for the information you need to prepare to participate!

• When and where will the strike take place? We will be picketing at all locations in the District where bargaining unit members work, every day from 7:45 AM - 10:30 AM. We will also be hosting daily rallies from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM during the strike. Locations will change each day and will be communicated through your strike captain. ** For substitute teachers: Pick any school or picket location and check in with that location's strike captain. 
• Can I get in trouble for striking? No. You have the right under state law to engage in a lawful strike in concert with your co-workers. You have just as much a right to participate in a lawful strike as you do to wear a PAT t-shirt or attend a union meeting. Retaliating against those participating in a strike would be unlawful.
• What if I am probationary? The same protections for participating in a lawful strike apply to both probationary teachers and contract teachers. The District cannot lawfully dismiss you, non-renew a probationary contract, or non-extend a contract teacher contract because you went on strike.
• Do we have a Strike Fund? Yes. Members who actively participate in a legal, sanctioned strike receive $120 a day from the OEA Relief Fund during the Strike. Participation does not have to just be picketing; any sanctioned strike activities count. We will be inclusive of member abilities when providing strike activities. Find your strike captain at the picket line to scan a QR code and check in. Be sure to include your address when filling out the form.
  
• What can substitutes do to support permanent teachers? Article 8(D)(4) of the current substitute contract states: “However, a substitute on either list may remove himself/herself from further assignment during a period of a lawful work stoppage by regular teachers by notifying the District in writing.” Subs have the right to not take assignments for the duration of any lawful labor action. Subs who actively participate in Strike activities receive the same strike benefits as members, up to $120 a day.
• Can the District withhold my healthcare benefits during the strike? Because bargaining unit members earn their health insurance for the following month by working through the 15th of the current month, it would be unlawful for the District to withhold payment for health insurance that you have already earned just because you later participate in a strike. However, if the strike is very long, the District can cease making additional monthly payments for your insurance for time you are not working. We would use our hardship fund as needed should the District make that decision. For example: A PAT unit member works from July 16th to August 15th and gets a paycheck on August 31st for that pay period. That August 31st paycheck will have insurance deducted to cover the employee’s September 1st – 31st insurance. If a strike began on September 1st, insurance would continue through the end of September.
• Can I use vacation or personal time off during the strike? Teachers cannot use vacation or personal time off while simultaneously striking. Teachers will have access to the Strike fund and the District can withhold pay for work duties not performed.
• Is attending a speech tournament/coaching a sport/attending Outdoor School during a strike crossing the picket line? Yes. Any PAT member work duties, including extended responsibilities, performed during a strike period is considered crossing the picket line. This is part of the urgency we have expressed to PPS managers around our bargain. Educators and the various workers of our district want to serve our students, and PPS management needs to come to the table with concrete proposals to support our students and educators so we can reach a settlement. 
• Can we support the picket line while we are on a pre-approved leave? Above all else, follow your primary care provider's recommendations and the conditions of your leave. If you are unable to stand and walk, please do not exert yourself to show solidarity and cause your leave to be extended! Please come and join your colleagues if able, but you will not qualify for strike pay if you are receiving leave pay.
• I planned to retire on November 1st. Will PPS retaliate and not allow me to work through the "bubble"? No! Any form of retaliation is unacceptable; anything connected to a strike will be responded to by our legal team. Please submit your notice as you normally would.
• Should I reschedule IEPs/504s/Behavior meetings? No! Please continue to schedule meetings with the hope that we can get to a resolution as soon as possible. 
• PPS says we are walking out of bargaining. Is that true? Nope. PPS is the only side that has ever canceled bargaining. 
• Are we really 200 million apart? If we were to accept PPS' numbers, here's how it breaks down: PPS' budget is almost $1.9 billion dollars. $200 Million across three years is $67 million per year. That is less than 4% of their yearly budget they need to adjust to cover our proposals. This does not include the fact that we can and will be petitioning for an increase in the State School Fund for the last year of this contract (since the SSF is renewed every 2 years). 
• What should I bring to the picket line? What should I do if someone tries to cross the picket line? What happens if I'm sick? Please reach out to your CAT team the strike captain at your site with any questions. They will share what the steps are at the morning huddle before the picket. If someone is sick, STAY HOME and notify your strike captain.
• Will I get back pay for the pay I'm missing out on after we settle? We must bargain the terms for returning back to the classroom. 
• How can parents and community members help? We have several asks for our community supporters. They can get links to our Solidarity Fund, Solidarity Form, and letter writing campaign by texting SUPPORT to 48744.
• Can I donate my strike pay to someone else who needs it more than me? We cannot do that centrally, but as a site you can pool your money together to give to members in your building. 

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to your strike captain for information. 

We appreciate each and every one of you. Your hard work and commitment to your students has made progress possible. We know that when the district sees our power at the picket line we will win the changes Portland schools need!