Monthly Archives: May, 2019

Father Robert Krueger, 1929-2019

Krueger, a Catholic priest who supported workers struggles for justice, was a frequent presence at union rallies and picket lines.

Portland 911 operators leave AFSCME, join Portland police union

The vote was 67 to 7 in a May 21 election overseen by the Oregon Employment Relations Board.

Veterans Nursing Home workers join USW

The union win took place in a "re-run" vote after an earlier election was tainted by management lawlessness.

Oregon teachers walk out for better school funding … and get it

Within a week of the walkout, lawmakers passed a bill to raise $1 billion a year for school funding through a tax on Oregon businesses with more than $1 million a year in sales.

PERS once again under attack

Top Democrats propose to cut public employee compensation and divert those resources to fund employer obligations to the pension system, but a coalition of public employee unions plans to fight the cuts in the Capitol and in the courts if need be.

Laborers Local 483 fights to stop cuts to Portland Parks and Rec

Portland City Council will vote tomorrow on whether to close community recreation centers and lay off about 50 front line staff like lifeguards and swimming instructors.

Democrats: Which side are you on?

Forty Senate Democrats and 130 House Democrats are committing to a dramatic re-write of America’s broken labor law.

Machinists District Lodge W24 rep Britt Cornman retires after decades in the labor movement

In a career that spanned mines, mills, railroad carrier, oil fields, and an assembly line, his support for the union once nearly got him killed.

AFT-Oregon elects new leadership

Jaime Rodriguez succeeds David Rives as statewide union president.

How inclusive movements build power

We build power for our worker’s movement when we recognize and embrace our diversity.

Nurses at Portland’s only psychiatric emergency facility say they want a union

Since it opened in 2017, Unity Center has faced multiple investigations over violations of safety rules.

Four migrant day care centers join Laborers 737

Workers at four non-profit child care centers in Marion and Clackamas counties voted 61 to 56 to unionize with Laborers Local 737.

Donations pouring in for the families of ironworkers killed in Seattle crane collapse

More than $128,000 has been donated to the families of two ironworkers killed in an April 27 tower crane collapse in downtown Seattle.

Veterans nursing home workers re-run union election

A nursing home for veterans held a second union election after management labor violations tainted the first one. The facility, located in Lebanon, Oregon, is...

New Seasons Market paid a union-buster a third of a million dollars

The total bill may have been higher, because the rules don't require disclosure for anti-union trainings of managers and supervisors.

Statewide teacher strike set for May 8

Teachers around Oregon will take part in a one-day walkout May 8 to demand better school funding.

For working Washingtonians, a breakthrough session in Olympia

Lawmakers voted to tax the rich and invest in infrastructure.

LERC faces drastic budget cut

The union training and research center is slated for a 45 percent cut.

Refugee nonprofit won’t be union-neutral

IRCO rejects AFSCME’s play-nice request and fires a union supporter.

A union guide to Oregon’s May 21 election

Oregon’s nonpartisan school board and special district elections tend to have very low turnout — as low as 34 percent. That means even more than usual, union voters can make a difference.

UFCW Local 555 sets strike votes at Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertsons

Meat department workers will vote first on strike authorization.

Major labor history conference in Portland

As many as 150 labor historians, students, and union members will gather in Portland May 3-5 for the annual conference of the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, which rotates through Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.