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April 4, 2025 issue

Trump terminates union rights for 1 million federal workers

Trump’s March 27 order may go down as the largest and most aggressive single act of union-busting in U.S. history.

Labor secretary slashes solidarity grants

Federal funding cuts have decimated the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center and all but ended U.S. support for international labor rights work.

Unpacking Trump’s Trade War

Lori Wallach is one of America’s foremost experts on trade policy. The Labor Press spoke with her via Zoom.

Trump orders nationwide layoff of federal mediators

After 78 years of work resolving labor disputes, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is almost entirely shut down.

Trump names corporate lawyer to top spot at NLRB

Employer-side labor attorney Crystal Carey worked for the NLRB from 2009 to 2018 before becoming partner at the world’s 10th largest law firm.

Trump tosses Biden order that raised wages for federal contract workers 

The Biden executive order had raised wages for 390,000 workers, about one fifth of the federal contract workforce.

Farmworker union organizer detained by ICE

Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez, 25, is an organizer with Familias Unidas por la Justicia, an independent union for farmworkers in the Skagit Valley.

Unemployment benefits for strikers?

Bills to give striking workers the right to unemployment benefits are moving forward in Oregon and Washington.

Court halts Oregon governor’s executive order requiring project labor agreements

The construction trade group Associated General Contractors led a lawsuit saying Tina Kotek exceeded her legal authority.

Exec getting raises? We get one too!

Clark County unions notch a win for pay fairness.

Student workers ready to strike at University of Oregon

The unit of about 4,000 undergraduate student workers voted to unionize in October 2023 and has spent 10 months negotiating a first contract.

Last minute settlement averts a strike by UO professors

A strike by 1,700 professors was set to start March 31 — the first day of spring term. 

After 16 months of talks, AFSCME reaches deal for first union contract at New Avenues for Youth

The contract covers about 110 workers at the homeless youth nonprofit, and will raise the minimum wage there from $17 to $21 per hour.

Mt. Hood Community College support workers triple their raises after getting organized

The union represents 240 workers, from groundskeepers and public safety officers to academic advisors and accountants.

Washington County ambulance workers get first union contract at AMR

Teamsters members rejected two previous proposals and authorized a strike before the company gave them an offer they could live with.

Bigfoot strike hits 200 days as workers stand firm

Around 240 workers at by the beverage distributor struck Sept. 19 after the company proposed replacing their pension with a 401(k). 

Champion apprentices

Bricklayers Local 1 apprentices gathered for a friendly skills competition judged by members of the joint apprenticeship training committee.

Postal unions protest privatization threats nationwide

President Trump has said privatizing USPS was an idea he’d consider, and on Feb. 24 he said he may put it under the U.S. Commerce Department.

PGE plans for Forest Park power line go to Portland City Council

A city hearings officer was satisfied with PGE's plans to plant more than 900 smaller-stature trees, but opponents appealed the decision.

Refugee resettlement workers join OPEIU

Of the International Rescue Committee's 29 U.S. offices, 10 have unionized since 2023, most of them through voluntary employer recognition.

Vancouver firefighters salute end to self-insured workers comp

Self-insurance led to abuses when injured workers filed claims, says International Association of Fire Fighters Local 452.

Hood River Distillers ordered to pay strikers

The company violated federal labor law in 2020 when it refused to take back workers who took part in an unfair labor practice strike.

Oregon’s new Democratic Party chair brings union background

Nathan Soltz was one of the leaders of an effort to unionize among Oregon legislative staffers, who voted to join IBEW Local 89 in 2021.

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Northwest Labor Press is an independent union-supported newspaper founded in 1900. Our print version is mailed twice a month to about 45,000 members of over three dozen local unions in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Our online version has been maintained here since 1997.

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