More unions are taking positions in Portland’s mayoral race, where 23 candidates have filed to run. Incumbent Sam Adams is leaving after serving only one term.
Last week, the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council (CPBCTC) endorsed Eileen Brady, while United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 endorsed Charlie Hales.
Local 555 is Oregon’s largest private sector union with some 19,000 members and retirees. CPBCTC has 27 affiliated locals representing more than 25,000 union members.
CPBCTC joins the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48, Sheet Metal Workers Local 16, Bricklayers and Allied Crafts Local 1, and Operating Engineers Local 701 in endorsing Brady, a businesswoman and co-founder of New Seasons Markets.
The front-runners are Brady, Hales, and Jefferson Smith, a state representative from Northeast Portland.
Smith has been endorsed by AFSCME Local 189, the largest union of city workers, and the Portland Association of Teachers, which represents nearly 4,000 members.
Hales is a former Portland city commissioner who now is a senior vice president at HDR Engineering planning new light rail and streetcar lines.
The primary is May 15. If no candidate captures a 50 percent majority, the top two vote getters will face off in the November general election.
