Bethany Village shops, Cedar Mill retailers, and thousands of Washington County tech-corridor workers could face power disruptions as soon as August 2, if 30 Portland General Electric system operators walk off the job.
The workers, represented by IBEW Local 125, run PGE's Integrated Operations Center in Tualatin. They monitor the grid that serves more than 950,000 customers across 51 cities, including Bethany, Cedar Mill, Oak Hills, and West Haven-Sylvan.
The union issued a formal strike notice on July 1 and says the walkout could begin August 2, if no contract deal is reached by then.
What's at stake locally
PGE provides electricity to Bethany, Cedar Mill, Oak Hills, and West Haven-Sylvan.
A strike-related outage on a Sunday would hit point-of-sale systems, refrigeration units, and internet-dependent operations at Bethany Village and along Cedar Mill's retail corridor. Tech-corridor employers west of Highway 26 rely on uninterrupted power for data centers and lab equipment.
The union has warned that a walkout by the system operators who manage grid load and monitor fire risk could disrupt service across PGE's territory, according to a Beaverton Valley Times report published Tuesday, July 28.
Why the workers are striking
The 30 system operators unionized in June 2024 but have worked without a collective bargaining agreement since. IBEW Local 125 business manager Travis Eri told KPTV on July 23 that PGE proposed concessions including pay cuts and removing workers from the pension plan.
"When PGE proposed concessions including pay cuts and being dropped from the pension, we had to take a stand," Eri said in that July 23 statement.
Brandon Ek, a transmission system operator and 26-year PGE employee, said in a July 23 union announcement that the timing compounds the risk.
He noted more than 85 wildfires were burning in Central Oregon and that workers felt they had "run out of options" after management stalled negotiations.
As of July 26, the Shingle Fire in Central Oregon had grown to 39,137 acres with zero containment, according to Central Oregon Fire Information. Red flag conditions with gusty winds persisted across the region.
PGE's contingency plan
PGE said in a Tuesday, July 28 statement that it has backup teams of federally certified grid operators ready to step in and maintain service. The company added that negotiations are continuing and "there is still time to reach an agreement."
The deadline is August 2. No specific negotiation session date has been publicly announced.
What comes next
PGE has not issued specific preparation guidance for commercial customers. Business owners can monitor PGE's outage page at portlandgeneral.com for updates.
The Beacon will follow up after August 2 with reporting on whether a strike occurs or a deal is reached.
