Striking PCC faculty and academic professionals reach tentative agreement, setting timeline for grades and spring term

Tentative deal follows weeks of disruption

Portland Community College and its Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals (FFAP) reached a tentative agreement after a strike that began March 11, 2026, disrupted the end of winter term and altered plans for the start of spring instruction. The walkout involved faculty, academic professionals and, separately, classified employees represented by the Federation of Classified Employees (FCE).

The strike prompted the college to shift operations remotely and raised concerns about delayed grades and downstream impacts to financial aid processing, which typically depends on posted winter-term grades.

Separate agreement already reached with classified employees

The tentative agreement with FCE was reached March 25, 2026. College-wide operational messaging in late March outlined a phased return of classified staff, with normal campus hours planned to resume as those employees returned. The FCE agreement came while faculty and academic professionals remained on strike and negotiations continued on a separate track.

Key elements of the proposed faculty and academic professionals package

In a late-March management proposal tied to acceptance and a return-to-work plan, the college laid out a framework combining salary structure increases, lump-sum payments, and health insurance contribution caps. The proposal described:

• Salary structure increases of 2% for 2025–26 (upon ratification) and 3% for 2026–27.
• Lump-sum payments, described as payable in the next regular payroll cycle: $4,475 for full-time faculty, $4,000 for academic professionals, and $500 for part-time faculty and part-time academic professionals who taught during the 2025–26 academic year.
• A part-time pay schedule adjustment effective Sept. 1, 2026, increasing the appendix schedule from 75% to 76%.
• Monthly insurance contribution caps with different tiers for single, spouse, and family coverage, and an HSA-related provision connected to October 2026 open enrollment for employees selecting an eligible plan.

Return-to-work timeline and academic calendar changes

The college’s outlined return-to-work plan set a tight schedule for closing out winter term work. Under the described timeline, employees would return to work March 31, 2026, with faculty expected to submit grades by 8 p.m. on April 1, 2026.

Under the return-to-work plan described by the college, winter-term grading and spring-term preparation would be compressed into the days immediately following the end of the strike.

Spring term planning was also described as a shortened 10-week term running April 6 through June 14, 2026, with nine weeks of instruction plus a finals week.

What happens next

As a tentative agreement, the proposal still requires union ratification to take effect. If ratified, the agreement would establish the compensation and benefits adjustments included in the package and formalize the return-to-work terms that govern how the college completes winter-term grading and launches spring instruction on the revised schedule.