Wrapping your head around the vastness of the labor movement can be a challenge even for lifelong Labor Press readers. This guide is an attempt to provide as exhaustive a list of local labor organizations as we could come up with.
The first thing to understand about organized labor is that it’s not a monolith. What we call the labor movement is a diverse set of organizations with distinct cultures and traditions. And in the Northwest, unions operate under — and are shaped by — at least five different laws.
This directory isn’t meant to be an encyclopedia. It lists local unions if they have their headquarters in our primary readership area of Oregon and Southwest Washington. (Because our readership also includes members of four locals headquartered in Idaho, Montana, and California, we list those as well.) We also include some unions that are headquartered elsewhere but have members in our readership area. These include local unions based in other parts of Washington, national unions like NewsGuild, airline unions, and postal and federal government unions.
We group locals together by their international (to show the kinship).
Oftentimes internationals contain locals and divisions in many different industries. For example, you might associate LiUNA with construction, but LiUNA Local 483 is a mostly public sector local.
Where did we get the data? Number of members is from most recent annual disclosure filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, or in some cases is self-reported when it comes to public sector unions that aren’t required to file.
Did we miss a union? Get something wrong? Let us know at [email protected]. We’ll be updating this guide and we can make corrections and additions there.
First things first: The AFL-CIO
The AFL-CIO is not a union. It’s a union of unions. It’s the premier federation of labor unions in America, with 63 affiliated unions combining for a total membership of 13.4 million workers. It started in 1886 as the American Federation of Labor (AFL). In its early years, the AFL admitted only unions that organized on a “craft” basis — all workers who had a given skill, like bricklaying. In the 1920s and 1930s, pressure mounted to organize on an “industrial” basis — all workers in a given company or industry, regardless of their particular skill. To do that, a coalition of AFL unions formed the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) in 1935. Fierce fights broke out between proponents of the two models of organizing, and in 1938, the CIO split off as a rival union federation and renamed itself the Congress of Industrial Organizations. After competing for a decade and a half, the two federations ended up merging in 1955, becoming what we now call the AFL-CIO.
The AFL-CIO is a national organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It also issues charters to state and local bodies. In the Northwest, the state AFL-CIO bodies are known as the Oregon AFL-CIO and the Washington State Labor Council. At the local level, the AFL-CIO charters what are known as central labor councils. Oregon used to have many of those, but today it has only one, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council. The other labor councils were re-formed as “labor chapters” — doing similar work, but as subordinate bodies to the state AFL-CIO; that also meant that they went from having no staff to being staffed by specialists working for the state body.
It’s sometimes the custom that a union will list its name followed by “AFL-CIO.” That’s to show that it’s an affiliate. The role of the AFL-CIO is to maintain unity within the labor movement, resolving disputes between unions, and coordinating union efforts in politics and other realms.
Individual working people don’t directly affiliate with the AFL-CIO, but they may be members of unions that are affiliates.
Under AFL-CIO rules, unions that are affiliated at the national level are obligated to pay per capita (per person) dues at each level — national, state, and local — though the requirement isn’t strictly enforced. In addition, unions that aren’t affiliated at the national level are sometimes allowed to affiliate at the local level. For example, the Teamsters union isn’t an AFL-CIO affiliate nationally, but Teamsters Local 223 is an affiliate of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council.
Of the 63 independent organizations affiliated with the AFL-CIO at the national level, we think 49 have members in our readership area of Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Understanding building trades unions
Though little understood by outsiders, building trades unions are in many ways a model for what a union can accomplish
Within organized labor, there’s a lot that makes building trades unions distinctive. They’re some of the oldest unions, and in many ways they remain some of the most successful even in the face of the long-term decline of American labor. Unlike workers at a factory or government agency, construction workers often expect to work themselves out of a job and be laid off when a construction job ends. Because of that, building trades unions perform roles that others unions may not.
To begin with, many building trades unions are heavily invested in training workers. They fund state-of-the-art apprenticeship programs. And they pay close attention to state licensing and apprenticeship rules.
They also provide “portable” health and retirement benefits that any union signatory employer can contribute to, usually on an hourly basis.
They often have a more partner-like relationship with employers too. It’s common for building trades unions to ally with their employers to compete for “market share” against non-union competitors that may provide lower pay and benefits. Some unions even set up “market recovery funds” to help contractors win particular bids — as a way to tilt the market in the direction of union wages and benefits.
Collective bargaining agreements in the building trades are typically negotiated industry-wide with groups of union employers, not shop by shop. Not only that, but an employer can sign on and agree to the terms of the union contract even before hiring any employees.
There are real advantages for employers to sign with a building trades union. Even though union contractors usually pay more for wages and benefits, they often compete successfully based on skill and scale.
Most building trades unions run a union hiring hall that dispatches labor to employers. The hiring hall helps employers staff up when they win a bid for a big job. It’s also how workers get back to work after a layoff.
If all workers in a given specialty unite in the union, they can negotiate together with fair wages and benefits and set the standard for that craft.
Because they compete against non-union employers, building trades unions often help to police their industries against bad actors. They educate non-union workers about their rights and help them file legal complaints when their employers violate wage and hour and safety laws.
A closer look at public employee unions
Public employee unions are also distinctive within the labor movement. Normally when a private sector worker goes on strike, their employer loses money. When a public sector worker goes on strike, the employer saves money, but the public loses out on services.
On the other hand, public sector employers may have less direct economic incentive to oppose unionization. That may be one reason why public sector unions grew tremendously from the 1970s on, even as private sector unions faced ferocious attacks from employers.
Public sector unions get to pick their bosses, to a limited degree, in that they can help to elect officials who will deal fairly with public employees. As a result, they tend to be heavily involved in electoral politics.
Public sector workers sometimes have more restricted rights as union members than private sector workers. For example, federal employees are barred by law from striking. So are public safety employees like fire and police in most states.
Actors’ Equity (AEA)
Actors Equity Association
AEA represents singers, actors, dancers, and stage managers in the live theater industry. In a sector defined by short-term employment, it provides health and retirement benefits. AEA doesn’t have locals, but several Portland theaters employ members. Fun fact: AEA’s national president is actress and former model Brooke Shields.
Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA)
National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Air traffic controllers in the United States are federal employees who work for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). President Ronald Reagan famously fired air traffic controllers in 1981 to punish them for striking. That led to the destruction of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Assocation, so air traffic controllers formed a new union, NATCO, in 1986. Locals are known by their airport code.
PDX 24 members – Portland International Airport
EUG 22 members – Eugene Airport
HIO 22 members – Hillsboro Airport
Airline Pilots (ALPA)
Air Line Pilots Association
ALPA represents pilots at Delta, United, Alaska, Spirit, and JetBlue as well as FedEx. Its “locals” are nationwide by airline.
Auto Workers (UAW)
United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America International Union
UAW is one of America’s great manufacturing unions, though it’s shrunk greatly from its heyday. Today it represents 375,000 workers in the auto industry and many others, even graduate students in some states.
Local 492 106 members
Represents workers at a Stellantis parts warehouse in Beaverton and a Ford parts warehouse in Portland.
Bakers (BCTGM)
Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union
BCTGM represents workers in the baking, candy, snack food, tobacco, and grain milling industries across the United States, including workers at Nabisco, Kellogg’s, and Frito-Lay.
Local 114 1,071 members
7931 NE Halsey St., Ste. 205, Portland, Oregon
Represents workers at Franz Bakery facilities in Portland and Springfield, Bimbo Bakery in Beaverton, the Fred Meyer and Safeway bakeries in Clackamas, and Grand Central Baking’s wholesale bakery in Northwest Portland. It also represents workers in grocery store bakery departments and Spin Catering.
Local 364 512 members
2205 N Lombard St, Ste 104, Portland, Oregon
Represents production workers at the Frito-Lay and Mondelez/Nabisco plants in Portland, and at contract baker Smith Cookies in McMinnville.
Local 290-G 69 members
Represents workers at the Amalgamated Sugar sugar beet mill in Nyssa, Oregon, right across the Snake River from Idaho.
Boilermakers
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers
The Boilermakers union is one of America’s oldest, begun in 1880, and its locals are known as local lodges, adapting terminology from the thriving masonic movement of that era. Members build and repair ships and heavy machinery like boilers in mills and power plants. They use acetylene torches, power grinders and other equipment for welding, burning, cutting, rigging, layout and bolting.
Local Lodge 242 247 members
6404 N Pittsburg St., Spokane, Washington
Represents 364 workers in Oregon, Eastern Washington and Idaho who build, maintain and repair boilers, tanks, and pressure vessels, including workers at the Vigor shipyard on Swan Island in Portland.
Bricklayers and Allied Crafts (BAC)
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
BAC isn’t just for bricklayers. As the name suggests, it’s also for allied craftspeople, including tilesetters, stone and marble masons, terrazzo and mosaic workers, pointer-caulker-cleaners who restore masonry, and refractory specialists (who specialize in heat-resistant linings in industrial equipment at steel mills, glass plants, and paper mills for example).
Local 1 Oregon/Washington/Idaho/Montana bac1or.org 898 members
12812 NE Marx St., Portland, Oregon
Represents members of the allied crafts in Oregon, southwest and eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Fun fact: BAC has as many as 11 locals named Local 1 around the country.
Carpenters (UBC)
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
UBC represents carpenters, drywall hangers, millwrights and pile drivers. It also has several autonomous divisions made up of unions that merged into it at various points in its history.
Western States Regional Council of Carpenters
The regional council represents almost 90,000 members in 12 western states (but not northern California, where the Northern California Carpenters Union covers 37,000 members in 22 locals.)
Local 503 4,088 members
276 Warner Milne Rd., Oregon City, Oregon.
Represents carpenters and drywall hangers in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Columbia, and Clatstop counties in Oregon, and Clark, Skamania, Wahkiakum, and Cowlitz counties in Washington. It’s the descendant of Portland-area local Local 247, which has been rechartered three times since 2010 – becoming Local 156, then 1503, and now 503.
Local 541 2,664 members
1265 S Bertelsen Rd, Eugene, Oregon
Represents carpenters in all other Oregon counties.
— Carpenters Industrial Council (CIC)
CIC was formed in 2006 from the merger of Western Council of Industrial Workers and three other national councils representing sawmill and plywood manufacturing workers. It descends from the Lumber and Sawmill Workers Union of the 1930s.
Local 2851 304 members
2301 Adams Ave., La Grande, Oregon
Represents sawmill workers in LaGrande.
Local 2949 2,574 members
742 Southeast Roberts Ave., Roseburg, Oregon
Represents sawmill workers in Roseburg.
Communications Workers (CWA)
Communications Workers of America
Founded in 1938 as the National Federation of Telephone Workers, CWA was historically the union for Bell telephone workers. It continues to represent workers at landline and cell service providers, but also workers in print and broadcast, and many other kinds of workers, even flight attendants —in unions that merged and became divisions of CWA.
Local 7901 423 members
3645 SE 32nd Ave., Portland, Oregon
Represents Portland-area landline workers at CenturyLink, AT&T’s wireless division, union staff at SEIU Local 503 and Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, plus 20 small employers like Beneficial State Bank and nonprofits like KBOO, First Unitarian Church, and Portland Jobs With Justice. Its offices are in the Oregon AFL-CIO’s Oregon Labor Center.
Local 7906 199 members
2110 State St., Salem, Oregon
Represents workers at Centurylink, AT&T, and DirecTV in the Salem area.
—Flight attendants (AFA-CWA)
Association of Flight Attendants
Represents about 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines. Locals correspond to each airline at each of its hubs.
Local 27017 189 members
Represents flight attendants at Horizon Air who are based out of PDX.
Local 27039 740 members
Represents flight attendants at Alaska Air and Hawaiian Airlines who are based out of PDX.
— NABET-CWA
National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians
240 2nd St #220, San Francisco, California
Represents West Coast news camera operators and other off-screen local TV workers. In Oregon that includes employees of KOIN-6 TV.
—TNG-CWA
The NewsGuild
Local 37194 12 members
Also known as the Eugene Newspaper Guild, it represents reporters and photographers at The Register-Guard newspaper in Eugene. Back in 2000, the local had 155 members.
Local 37082 276 members
Also known as the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, it represents reporters and photographers in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho, including at The Bulletin in Bend, The Daily News in Longview, and Cascade PBS.
Electrical Workers (IBEW)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Most IBEW members work for construction and utilities. Inside wire workers install and maintain conduits, switches, and converters, and construct and maintain complex systems in high tech and manufacturing. Sound and communications specialists install fiber optics and voice/data/video equipment. Sign specialists install and maintain electric signs. Outside line workers build and maintain transmission lines and trim trees to keep them away from power lines. IBEW also represents the utility workers who operate and maintain electric power plants.
Local 48 6,626 members
15937 NE Airport Way, Portland, Oregon
Represents inside wire workers, sound and communication specialists, and sign installers, as well as electricians who maintain equipment for local government and school districts, and the port, and even workers at KQAC 89.9 FM Portland and staff at the Oregon AFL-CIO. Local 48 has long been a pillar of the local labor movement, and frequently lends its state-of-the-art hall and training center for use by other labor organizations.
Local 89 846 members
1125 S 2nd St., Mount Vernon, Washington
Represents members in Washington, Oregon, and parts of California and Idaho. Its historic core membership was electrical workers in telecommunications, but in recent years it has expanded to represent workers at nonprofits such as Climate Jobs National Resource Center, and even legislative aides at the Oregon Legislature.
Local 125 4,540 members
17200 NE Sacramento St., Portland, Oregon
Represents outside linemen and power plant workers at PGE, Pacific Power, Bonneville Power Administration, and public utility districts. It also represents power line clearance tree trimmers, and workers who construct and maintain transmission lines and electrical substations. Its territory includes parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.
Local 280 1,767 members
32969 Hwy 99E, Tangent, Oregon
Represents construction and sound and communications electricians in nine counties in Central Oregon and the Southern Willamette Valley. Local 280 operates training centers in Tangent and Redmond.
Local 659 2,485 members
4480 Rogue Valley Hwy, Suite 3, Central Point, Oregon
Represents electrical workers in construction, utilities, and telecommunications in Southern Oregon and Northern California as well as tree trimmers and workers in local government.
Local 932 157 members
3427 Ash St., North Bend, Oregon
Represents electrical workers along the rural Southern Oregon Coast from Lincoln City to Brookings and the California border.
Elevator Constructors (IUEC)
International Union of Elevator Constructors
Elevator constructors build and maintain elevators, escalators, and moving walkways. It’s a licensed craft that combines electrical and mechanical skills. Members work under national contracts with the big elevator manufacturers, Otis, Schindler, Thyssenkrupp, and Kone.
Local 23 295 members
11145 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, Oregon
Represents elevator constructors in Oregon plus six southwest Washington counties. It purchased its hall from Insulators Local 36.
Fire Fighters (IAFF)
International Association of Fire Fighters
Representing 350,000 fire fighters and paramedics across the United States and Canada. Its distinctive logo, seen on bumper stickers proudly displayed by members, incorporates the Maltese cross, a centuries-old symbol of protection.
Oregon State Fire Fighters Council
Coordinates statewide political advocacy for over 47 IAFF locals representing over 3,500 full-time firefighters.
Local 43
330 SW Curry St., Portland, Oregon
Represents firefighters at Portland Fire and Rescue and the Port of Portland.
Local 452 276 members
807 NW Fruit Valley Rd, Vancouver, Washington
Represents firefighters at Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire District 6 plus paramedics at North Country Emergency Medical Service in Yacolt.
Local 227 – Bend
Local 314 – Salem
Local 824 – Medford
Local 845 – Albany
Local 851 – Eugene
Local 890 – Klamath Basin
Local 924 – LaGrande
Local 1062 – Gresham
Local 1110 – Roseburg
Local 1159 – Clackamas County
Local 1269 – Ashland
Local 1308 – Mid-Columbia
Local 1660 – Tualatin Valley
Local 2091 – Douglas County
Local 2163 – Lebanon
Local 2240 – Corvallis
Local 2296 – Pendleton
Local 2406 – North Bend
Local 2557 – Marion County
Local 2596 – Jackson County
Local 2752 – Hermiston
Local 3387 – La Pine
Local 3650 – Redmond
Local 3881 – Keizer
Local 4262 – Sunriver
Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
United Food and Commercial Workers
Represents 1.2 million workers in many industries, but particularly grocery, retail, meatpacking, food processing, health care, and cannabis.
Local 555 28,709 members
7095 SW Sandburg St., Tigard, Oregon
Represents grocery and retail workers at Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, Roth’s, McKay’s and other grocers in a jurisdiction that includes nearly all of Oregon plus southwest Washington, southern Idaho, and western Wyoming. It also represents bootmakers and retail workers at Danner; poultry processors at Foster Farms plants in Corvallis and Kelso; pharmacy workers at Kaiser Permanente; health care workers at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay and a handful of clinics and memory care facilities; and workers at several barber shops, labor law firms and miscellaneous employers.
3040 Pacific Hwy S Suite 101, Des Moines, Washington
Represents grocery, food processing, retail, cannabis, health care, laundry, and administrative and nonprofit workers in the Seattle area and much of Washington, but it also serves grocery workers in northern Idaho and the Pendleton, Oregon, area from an office in the Tri-Cities area, following the jurisdiction of an eastern Washington local that merged into it.
Local C-121 185 members
Formerly a local of the International Chemical Workers Union Council, which merged with UFCW in 1996, it represents employees of Cascade Natural Gas in the Bend-Redmond area.
Government Employees (AFGE)
American Federation of Government Employees
The largest union of federal employees, representing over 750,000 workers in federal agencies and the District of Columbia. Its locals are organized by agency and locale.
Local 928 – Bonneville Power Administration 150 members
Local 1042 – Roseburg VA Medical Center607 members
Local 1104 – Department of Energy 29 members
Local 1106 – Department of Agriculture
Local 1110 – EPA
Local 1126 – USDA
Local 1127 – TSA 1,173 members
Includes TSA agents in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado
Local 1188 38 members
Local 2023 – BLM 43 members
Local 2157 – Represents employees at Portland VA Medical Center, Portland Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Office, and Willamette National Cemetery 1,270 members
Local 2336 – Department of Labor
Local 2583 – Vancouver VA Medical Center afgelocal2583.org
Local 2986 – OR Army/Air Natl Guard 135 members
Local 3365 – USDA
Local 3781 – USDA – FGIS 5 members
Local 3917 – HUD
Local 3937 – Social Security
Includes Social Security employees in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska
Local 3979 164 members
Local 4014 55 members
Insulators (HFIAW)
International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers
Formerly known as asbestos workers, HFIAW represents 22,900 workers who install mechanical insulation and fire stopping, perform asbestos and lead mitigation or abatement, and install sound attenuation.
Local 36 282 members
16076 SE Evelyn St., Clackamas
Members specialize in mechanical insulation, firestopping, and hazardous material handling, and play a big role in energy conservation, safety, and environmental protection. They insulate boilers and refrigeration systems used in food processing and at manufacturers like Intel.
Ironworkers (IW)
International Association Of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental And Reinforcing Iron Workers
Ironworkers assemble and erect the steel framework and other metal parts in buildings and bridges. They’re essential in the construction of dams, skyscrapers, factories and other steel structures. They raise, place and join steel girders and columns to form structural frameworks, including the welding for metal decking. And they tie rebar (reinforcing bar) that gives poured concrete its strength.
Iron Workers Pacific Northwest District Council
5506 6th Ave. South, #104, Seattle
Serves locals in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, northeast Nevada, and western South Dakota and Nebraska, coordinating training and collective bargaining.
Local 29 1,612 members
11620 NE Ainsworth Circle, Ste. 200, Portland
Represents reinforcing, structural, and ornamental ironworkers in construction in Oregon and six southwest Washington counties.
Local 516 869 members
11620 NE Ainsworth Circle, Suite 300, Portland
Known as a “shopmen’s” local, it represents workers about a dozen and a half metal fabrication shops in Oregon and Washington and Montana.
Laborers (LiUNA)
Laborers’ International Union of North America
It’s almost impossible to list the variety of work performed by members of the laborers union. They bring the brawn to carry materials for other crafts. They clean up work sites. They set up scaffolding. They serve as traffic control flaggers. They work in demolition and asbestos abatement. They work on road crews raking and grading asphalt and mitigate rock fall along mountainous roads.
Oregon and Southern Idaho District Council of Laborers 3,995 members
17230 NE Sacramento St., Portland
Coordinates the work of three LiUNA locals — construction/highway locals Local 737 in Oregon and Local 155 in Idaho, and public sector Local 483 based in Portland.
Local 737 2,757 members
17230 NE Sacramento St., Portland
Represents laborers in construction, shipyards, and road maintenance, plus several hundred public works employees in over a dozen small cities and counties around Oregon.
Local 483 1,200 members
17230 NE Sacramento St., Portland, Oregon
Known as the municipal employees local, members maintain roads, sewers and parks for the City of Portland, staff Portland recreation centers, the Oregon Zoo and Metro Parks, and do maintenance work for the City of Silverton, the City of Mt. Angel, and airport and marine facilities of the Port of Portland.
Local 335 564 members
212 NE Andresen Rd, Vancouver, Washington
Represents construction laborers in Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties. They perform tasks such as site preparation, concrete work, roadway construction, pipelaying, and more.
Local 155 291 members
465 W 17th Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Represents construction laborers in Idaho south of the 46th parallel, roughly the border of Oregon and Washington.
—NPMHU
National Postal Mail Handlers Union/LiUNA
NPMHU, a division of LiUNA, represents mail handlers employed by the U.S. Postal Service. Mail handlers job is to load, unload, sort, and process mail in postal facilities nationwide.w
Local 315 519 members
Represents mail handlers in Oregon.
Letter Carriers (NALC)
National Association of Letter Carriers
Represents 294,000 active and retired city letter carriers employed by the U.S. Postal Service. Its local bodies are called branches, not locals.
Oregon State Association NALC
Coordinates political and educational efforts for 30 Oregon locals that have a combined membership of 3,793. All but four of the locals have fewer than 100 members
Branch 82 2,101 members Portland
Branch 347 321 members Salem
Branch 916 525 members Eugene
Branch 1433 211 members Medford
Longshore Workers (ILWU)
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
Represents 40,000 dockworkers, warehouse workers, and other workers across the U.S. West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, and the Canadian West Coast. Loading and unloading ships, ILWU occupies a strategic pinch point in the economy. Since its founding in 1937, it has had a reputation as a militant union that’s very conscious of its history. Containerization and mechanization have taken a big toll on membership numbers since the 1960s, so ILWU fights tenaciously to preserve its jurisdiction over the remaining jobs on the docks.
Local 4 195 members
1205 Ingalls St., Vancouver, Washington
Represents longshore workers.
Local 5 598 members
917 SW Oak St, Ste 206, Portland, Oregon
Established in 2000 when Powell’s Books signed its first union contract, Local 5 has expanded since then to represent veterinary workers, childcare workers, workers at the Oregon Historical Society, and nonprofit workers.
Local 8 359 members
2435 NW Front Ave., Portland, Oregon
Represents longshore workers.
Local 12 38 members
2064 Sheridan Ave., North Bend, Oregon
Represents longshore workers.
Local 21 44 members
617 14th Ave, Suite B, Longview, Washington
Represents longshore workers who operate grain terminals.
Local 28 188 members
2435 NW Front Avenue, Portland, Oregon
Represents security officers at Kaiser Permanente and Metro.
Local 40 76 members
2401 NW 23rd Ave., Portland, Oregon
Represents marine clerks.
Local 50 24 members
491 Industry St., Astoria, Oregon
Represents longshore workers.
Local 53 10 members
606 SW 13th St., Newport, Oregon
Represents longshore workers.
Local 92 50 members
Vancouver, Washington
Represents walking bosses (foremen).
—INLANDBOATMANS UNION (IBU)
Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific
An independent union dating to 1918, the IBU merged with ILWU in 1980, becoming ILWU’s Marine Division. Headquartered in Seattle, IBU represents 1,677 mariners who work on vessels including ferries, tugboats, barges, and dredges. It’s headquartered in Seattle and doesn’t have locals per se, but its Columbia River Region shares a Portland office with ILWU locals 8 and 28.
Machinists (IAMAW)
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Sometimes known as the “Fighting Machinists,” 548,000-member IAM represents machinists in manufucturing, especially aerospace, as well as mechanics, woodworkers, and many other occupations. Founded in 1888, it’s one of America’s oldest trade unions, and some of its terminology traces back to the masonic organizations that it originally took as a model. For example, locals are officially “local lodges,” and the parent organization, headquartered in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is known as the Grand Lodge. If Machinists staff and officers stand out for their caliber, it’s because the Grand Lodge doesn’t leave know-how to chance. Newly elected officers are sent to the union’s national training center in Hollywood, Maryland, to be trained in the knowledge and skills they’ll need to serve members. IAM also sponsors a homegrown charity, Guide Dogs of America, that provides dogs for the blind.
International Woodworkers of America (IWA) merged with IAM in 1994, becoming the IAM’s Woodworker Division. Locals that have “W” as part of their name are the woodworker locals. They’re sawmill workers, log yard scalers, equipment operators, loggers, log truck drivers, and maintenance, mechanical, and electrical workers employed by Weyerhaeuser and other wood products companies.
District W24 6,829 members
25 Cornell Ave, Gladstone, Oregon
Created in 2011 via the merger of Machinists District Lodge 24 and Woodworkers District Lodge W1, it supports 12 machinist and woodworker locals in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Northern California. Its Gladstone headquarters also provides office and meeting space for the three Portland-area locals.
Oregon Machinists Council
A statewide council, it coordinates political outreach and legislative advocacy for members.
Local Lodge 63 2,500 members
25 Cornell Ave, Gladstone, Oregon
Represents Portland-area workers at Boeing as well as machinists, maintenance mechanics and others at the Portland Vigor shipyard, Ash Grove Cement, Gerber Knives, the Portland Mondelez-Nabisco plant, Auto Truck Transport, Kroger’s Swan Island Dairy, Premier Gear and Machine, Portland Public Schools, and Oregon Tradeswomen.
Local Lodge 1005 1,521 members
25 Cornell Ave, Gladstone, Oregon
Historically known as the Auto Mechanics, Local Lodge 1005 represents Portland-area workers in manufacturing and automotive maintenance, including workers at the Daimler truck plant on Swan Island, Cummins Northwest, Jackson Group Peterbilt, GMC Custom Truck Services, City of Portland fleet maintenance, Aramark Uniform Services, Distribution Trucking, Greyhound, In and Out Auto, Mount Trailer, Northwest Congregations, Oregon Auto Springs Services Inc., Penske Truck Leasing Co., Pierce Pacific Manufacturing, City of Portland, Portland Public Schools, Precision Equipment, Silver Eagle Manufacturing, UPS, T-Force (UPS Freight), and US Bakery (Franz).
Local Lodge 1432 385 members
25 Cornell Ave, Gladstone, Oregon
Known as the Beaver Lodge, 1432 represents manufacturing machinists and maintenance mechanics including about 170 workers at the Clarios auto battery plant in Canby, 70 at ConMet’s aluminum die cast factory in Clackamas, and smaller units at C-TRAN, City of Vancouver, Clark County, BPA, Kaufman Direct, Radius Recycling (formerly Schnitzer Steel), Resource Management, Ruan Transportation, Tidland Corporation, Vitro Electric. It also represents support staff at Sunrise Dental.
Local Lodge W12 345 members
3836 Altamont Dr., Klamath Falls, Oregon
Represents workers in forest products, aerospace, and department of defense contractors in Southern Oregon and Northern California.
Local Lodge W38 70 members
1801 W. Railroad Ave Shelton, Washington
Represents workers at the forest products company Green Diamond Resources as well as public employees at the City of Shelton, Mason County Sheriff’s Department & Corrections, and Mason County Public Defenders Office.
Local Lodge 88 276 members
156 West Granite St., Butte, Montana
Represents Montana workers in aerospace, automotive and heavy equipment maintenance, beverage bottling plants, and public and private sector mechanics. That includes workers at Anaconda/Deer Lodge, Butte School District #1, Cascade County, City & County of Butte Silver Bow, City of Great Falls, City of Missoula, Dee Motor Co., DynCorp, M1 Support Services, Veolia Water, Harrington Bottling Co., Helena School District, Mile High Beverage (Coca-Cola), Missoula County, Mark’s Golf Cars & Service, Placer Motors, PAE, Sheepshearers, State of Montana, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Y-Tech (United Paradyne)
Local Lodge W98 48 members
4700 Valley East Blvd., Arcata,California
Represents forest product workers at Green Diamond Resource Company in northwest California.
Local Lodge W130 337 members
2211 Foron Rd., Centralia, Washington
Represents workers in the Puget Sound and Washington coast who are employed in timber, healthcare, law enforcement and at defense contractors. That includes Weyerhaeuser’s Raymond sawmill, its Cone plant, and its Olympia log export operation as well as its trucking operations at PeEll Woods, Vail Woods, Aberdeen Woods, and Mima Nursery. It also includes workers at Town of PeEll and the City of Cosmopolis, and Magellan-AFSC, PD Systems-JBLM, Pat Rabey Trucking, Montesano Health & Rehabilitation, and Sunrise Dental.
Local Lodge W246 498 members
1116 South A St. Springfield, Oregon
Represents northwest Oregon area workers in forest products, transportation and healthcare, including employees of the Weyerhaeuser mill in Springfield.
Local Lodge W261 331 members
3427 Ash St., North Bend, Oregon
Represents central Oregon workers in city government, forest products, and machining and welding including workers at the Weyerhaeuser mill.
Local Lodge W364 40 members
Represents eastern Washington and Idaho workers in forest products and healthcare.
Local Lodge W536 661 members
536 Oregon Way, Longview, Washington
Represents southwest Washington workers in the forest product industry, transportation, health care industry & machinist industry including mill and timber truck drivers workers at the Weyerhaeuser mill. Northwest Hardwoods, Frontier Rehabilitation and Extended Care Center in Longview, Cowlitz Family Health Center, Interfor lumber yard, and Sunrise Dental.
—Air Transport Division
Local 1885 717 members
Representing customer service, fleet service, and ramp service workers at American, United, Southwest, and Hawaiian airlines, it’s part of IAM District 142.
—National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)
NFFE is the oldest federal employee union, representing workers in over 40 federal agencies. It merged into the IAM in 1999.
Local 7 20 members
Represents employees at USDA and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Local 457 39 members
Represents employees of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
Local 642 104 members
Represents employees of the U.S. Forest Service employees at Redmond Air Center.
Masters Mates & Pilots
International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots
Represents 8,351 Coast Guard licensed masters and mates on inland waterways and civilian-crewed ships in the federal government fleet as well as masters, mates and other marine personnel who work on tugs, ferries, dredges and harbor tour vessels, including the state ferry systems in Alaska and Washington. That includes members working on the Columbia River and Columbia River Bar pilots who navigate ships at the mouth of the river near Astoria, and also in Coos Bay.
Musicians (AFM)
American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada
Represents over 66,000 professional musicians in orchestras, bands, recording studios, theaters, and touring shows.
Local 99 542 members
325 NE 20th Ave., Portland, Oregon
Represents musicians at the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Symphonic Choir, Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, Portland Festival Symphony and Ethos Music Center.
Local 689 194 members
Represents musicians in central and southwestern Oregon, including Eugene, as well as southern Idaho and Modoc County, California.
National Education Association (NEA)
With over 2.8 million members, NEA is the largest union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other education professionals as well as some college faculty and staff. NEA union representatives are known as “UniServ consultants” (short for United Services.)
Oregon Education Association 41,000 members
Oregon’s second-largest union after SEIU Local 503, OEA represents licensed K-12 teachers and specialists like school librarians, nurses, and counselors, as well as some classified/education support professionals (ESPs) and community college faculty. It has local affiliates at every one of Oregon’s 199 public school districts. The largest are the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT), Salem-Keizer Education Association, and Beaverton Education Association.
New Seasons Labor Union (NSLU)
An independent union of workers at New Seasons Market, it represents 1,100 workers at 11 stores in the Portland area. They’re still fighting to get a first contract.
Office and Professional Workers (OPEIU)
Office and Professional Employees International Union
Represents more than 82,000 workers, mostly office workers at unions, local governments, hospitals, and insurance companies.
Local 11 1,858 members
3815 NW Columbia St, Vancouver, Washington
Represents several hundred employees at dozens of local unions and allied organizations, plus employees of Clark County and the City of Vancouver. Its biggest bargaining unit is employees of Northwest Natural. Originally Local 11 represented office workers there, but a union of workers who install and repair natural gas pipelines switched over and affiliated. Most members are in Oregon and Southwest Washington, but the local also has a few bargaining units in Idaho, Montana, and Utah.
Operating Engineers (IUOE)
International Union of Operating Engineers
Operating engineers are the first in and last out of a construction site. They operate earth movers, cranes, and other heavy construction equipment. They work on roads and highways, buildings and civil engineering projects. The union also includes stationary engineers who maintain machinery in buildings, hospitals and industrial complexes.
Local 701 3,792 members
555 1st St., Gladstone, Oregon
Represents about 2,800 heavy equipment operators and crane operators in building and highway construction, as well as about 900 stationary engineers who maintain and operate boilers and other building systems equipment.
Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades of the United States and Canada
As the full name suggests, the painters union isn’t just for painters; it’s also for allied trades, including drywall finishers, glaziers, floor covering installers, and sign and display workers.
District Council 5 5,827 members
5200 Southcenter Blvd. Seattle, Washington
Serves 13 locals in Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho, Utah, and Alaska. The four locals based in Portland share office and meeting space.
Local 10 818 members
11105 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, Oregon
A Portland painters local, they work in industrial, commercial and residential settings, from bridges and ships to interior walls of office buildings and homes. painters working in the building trades as well as industrial coatings and for public agencies in Southwest Washington and Oregon north of Salem.
Local 101 391 members
11105 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, Oregon
A drywall finishers local, members tape, fill in and smooth seams in sheets of drywall, and add textures and finishes. Its jurisdiction includes all of Oregon and six Southwest Washington counties—Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum.
Local 740 558 members
11105 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, Oregon
A glaziers local, members prepare and install glass, mirrors, metal framing and doors/entrances to buildings.
Local 1236 146 members
11105 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, Oregon
A floor coverers local, members install linoleum, carpet and tile layers.
Local 1094 469 members
5200 Southcenter Blvd., Tukwila, Washington
A sign-painters local based in the south Seattle suburb of Tukwila, it also includes painters at the Daimler truck plant in Portland … and the staff of the Democratic Party of Oregon.
Plasterers and Cement Masons (OPCMIA)
Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association of the United States and Canada
One of the oldest unions in America, represents more than 44,000 craftworkers who finish concrete and apply plaster, stucco, and other materials in construction projects across the U.S. and Canada.
Local 82 110 members
12812 NE Marx St, Portland, Oregon
A plasterers local, members finish interior walls and ceilings of buildings and apply plaster on masonry, metal, wire lath or gypsum.
Local 555 671 members
12812 NE Marx St., Portland, Oregon
A cement masons local, members pour and finish slabs, steps, wall tops, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, paving and other concrete construction in a jurisdiction that includes Oregon, Clark and Skamania counties in Washington, and southern Idaho.
Plumbers and Fitters (UA)
United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada
The pipe-trades union, UA represents plumbers and pipe, sprinkler and refrigerator fitters, and service technicians. Members fabricate, install, and maintain piping systems that carry water, steam, air and other liquids or gases necessary for sanitation, industrial production, heating and air conditioning, and many other uses. They measure, cut and bend pipe, weld, braze, caulk, solder, glue or thread joints at residential and commercial jobsites. They also handle the “wet” side of HVAC work when that involves piping.
Local 290 5,389 members
20210 SW Teton Ave, Tualatin, Oregon
Represents plumbers, pipefitters, and HVAC workers in the western two-thirds of Oregon, three Southwest Washington counties, and Humboldt and Del Norte counties in California. Most members are covered under a master agreement with the union-signatory Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association of Oregon (PMCA).
Local 669 16,162 members
A nationwide local, it represents specialists who install, inspect, test, and maintain fire sprinkler and suppression systems, and has members in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Portland Police Association (PPA)
PPA is an independent union representing rank-and-file officers, sergeants, and detectives within the Portland Police Bureau, as well as 911 dispatchers at the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications. Founded in 1942, it’s the oldest police union in the United States.
Postal Workers (APWU)
American Postal Workers Union
Represents postal clerks you see when you go to a post office, as well as many workers behind them, in mail processing, bulk mail entry, and motor vehicle maintenance.
Local 128 1,061 members
2360 SE Morrison St., Portland, Oregon
Represents Portland-area members
Local 342 135 members
Represents Medford-area members
Local 431 9 members
Represents members in Roseburg
Local 457 12 members
Represents members in Klamath Falls
Local 555 81 members
Represents postal workers in Bend and Eastern Oregon
Local 557 16 members
Represents members in Corvallis
Local 604 95 members
Represents Salem-area members
Local 679 189 members
Represents Springfield-area members
PROTEC17
Professional and Technical Employees Local 17
2900 Eastlake Ave E # 300, Seattle, Washington
Protec17 was formerly a local of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, AFL-CIO, but became an independent union in 2011. It represents nearly nearly 10,000 public employees in Oregon and Washington, including nearly 900 professional and technical employees at the City of Portland, including engineers, architects, and city planners.
Professional and Technical Engineers (IFTPE)
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
Represents engineers, scientists, technicians, administrative professionals, and public-sector employees.
Local 97 14 members
Represents employees at the Army Corps of Engineers
Local 2001 (SPEEA) speea.org 16,075 members
Better known as Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) IFTPE Local 2001 represents engineers, technical workers, and pilots at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems in Washington, Kansas, Oregon, Utah, and California.
Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW)
Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers
3,619 members
AWPPW is an independent union with an interesting history. Its union logo features a gavel and the words “Guard well the democratic rights of your members.” Its newspaper is called The Rebel. All that stems from the union’s founding in a 1964 uprising in which 50 West Coast locals split from the International Brotherhood of Pulp and Sulphite Workers and the United Papermakers and Paperworkers. In 1996 it affiliated as an autonomous division of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, but disaffiliated in 2023. AWPPW represents workers at pulp and paper mills in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California, but that industry has been hit hard by closures, and membership is down two-thirds since 2000.
Local 153 695 members
Longview, Washington
Local 13 300 members
Toledo, Oregon – affiliated with the Oregon AFL-CIO
Local 580 211 members
Longview, Washington
Local 677 196 members
Springfield, Oregon
Local 633 164 members
Longview, Washington
Local 5 152 members
Georgia-Pacific paper mill in Camas, Washington
Local 155 133 members
Vancouver, Washington
Local 78 119 members
Portland, Oregon
Local 89 107 members
Medford, Oregon
Local 396 103 members
Stayton, Oregon
Local 412 33 members
St. Helens, Oregon
Local 78 130 members
Portland, Oregon
Roofers
United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers
Members install new roofs and remove old roofs using a variety of materials. They install hot built-up and single-ply roofing systems on commercial/industrial structures. They also install moisture-resistant products on below-grade structures and other surfaces to prevent water intrusion into buildings. roofers and waterproofers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Local 49 632 members
5032 SE 26th Avenue. Portland, Oregon
Represents roofers and waterproofers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Rural Letter Carriers (NRLCA)
National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association
As the name suggests, NRLCA represents rural delivery carriers employed by the United States Postal Service.
Oregon Rural Letter Carriers’ Association 1,131 members
Represents rural letter carriers in eight districts in Oregon.
Screen Actors (SAG-AFTRA)
Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
179,000 members
Represents media professionals, including actors, broadcasters, recording artists, stunt performers, and other entertainment and news industry workers. They work in film, television, and radio.
Portland Local Branch 983 members
Portland’s active local includes members who work on film, TV, and advertising productions, plus staff at KGW and OPB. It covers members in Oregon and Southwest Washington, and is supported by dedicated staff in the union’s Seattle office.
Seafarers (SIU)
Seafarers International Union of North America
27,500 members
Represents merchant mariners working aboard U.S.-flag vessels in deep sea, inland waterways, and Great Lakes, including close to 100 members in Portland.
Service Employees (SEIU)
Service Employees International Union
1.9 million members
The second largest union in the United States, SEIU represents janitors and security guards and workers in the public sector and healthcare.
Local 49 14,731 members
Represents hospital support workers at Portland-area locations of Kaiser Permanente and at 18 Oregon hospitals, as well as janitors, security guards, and airport service workers, plus workers formerly part of Workers United at Pendleton Woolen Mills, the Wilsonville Xerox plant, and at local industrial laundries.
Local 503 45,759 members
Begun as the independent Oregon Public Employees Union, but affiliated with SEIU in 1980. Oregon’s largest union, it represents state employees, nursing home workers, and caregivers in private homes who are employed through the Oregon Home Care Commission.
—National Association of Goverment Employees (NAGE)
Representing employees in federal, state, and local government agencies, it affiliated with SEIU in 1982.
Local 30 65 members
Represents employees of Falck Ambulance in Salem. They’re part of a NAGE division called International Association of EMTs and Paramedics (IAEP).
Local 307 43 members
Represents ambulance workers in Roseburg who are members of IAEP.
—Workers United
Workers United was formerly Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees (UNITE) then merged with Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) to form UNITE HERE, but then split again and became an affiliate of SEIU. It represents primarily apparel and textile workers.
Over 600 Starbucks stores have unionized 2021 in a campaign by Workers United, including 41 of stores in Oregon. They’re still fighting to get a first contract.
Sheet Metal Workers (SMART)
International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers
As you’d expect frome the union’s name, members of SMART work with sheet metal. On construction sites, they sometimes go by the affectionate nickname of “tin knockers.” Working with sheet metal means they fabricate, install and service heating, venting and air conditioning systems; metal roofing; coping and flashing; and do stainless steel work for restaurants, kitchens and hospitals. They also do sign-making involving sheet metal. In 2011, the Sheet Metal Workers International Association merged with United Transportation Union and took the acronym SMART to reflect the addition of air, rail and transportation workers.
SMART Northwest Regional Council 9,864 members
11831 Beverly Park Rd. B-2 Everett, Washington
Formed in 2020, the SMART Northwest Regional Council includes Locals 16, 23, 55, 66, and 103, covering members in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska. Unlike more common “federated” regional councils, SMART’s Northwest Regional Council has a direct relationship with members and direct responsibility for their well-being. Members elect the regional council president and financial secretary-treasurer, and each local (which represents members who work in that geographic jurisdiction) elects its own members to serve on the regional council’s governing executive committee. Union staff are employed by the regional council, not by locals, and it’s the council that collects dues and handles negotiations. Most members represented by the Northwest regional council are in construction, but more than 1,000 work in production at manufacturing facilities and shipyards.
Local 16 2,253 members
2379 NE 178th Ave. Portland
Represents sheet metal workers in construction plus several hundred sheet metal shop workers. It’s jurisdiction is Oregon and southwest Washington.
— UTU locals
Six Oregon locals totaling 426 members represent railroad workers and came to SMART from UTU.
Local 117 8 members Portland Union Station
Local 471 59 members Eugene
Local 473 143 members La Grande
Local 1574 126 members Portland (Union Pacific)
Local 1637 35 members The Dalles
Local 1841 55 members Klamath Falls
Stagehands (IATSE)
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada
Represents 173,000 entertainment industry workers including stagehands, technicians, costume designers, makeup artists, and other behind-the-scenes professionals working in film, television, theater, and live events.
Local B20 60 members
Represents ushers and gate attendants at the Oregon Convention Center
Local 28 233 members
3645 SE 32nd Ave., Portland, Oregon
Represents Portland-area stagehands at the Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Moda Center, Memorial Coliseum, Newmark and Winningstad theaters, and Bodyvox Dance Company. Its office is at the Oregon AFL-CIO’s Oregon Labor Center.
Local 154 149 members
Represents workers at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland including stagehands, sound and lighting technicians, wardrobe and wig crews, scenery and prop makers, custodial and maintenance workers, ushers, concessions staff, and finance, accounting, and box office workers.
Local 488 923 members
A studio mechanics local it represents workers in the Pacific Northwest who work in more than a dozen technical specialites on film and television productions. That includes sound, special effects, hair, and costume as well as grips and workers who create sets and props.
Local 675 51 members
Represents stagehands and entertainment industry craftspeople in the Eugene, Oregon area.
State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Unsurprisingly as the name suggests, AFSCME was the premier union chartered by the American Federation of Labor to represent state, county, and public employees. But starting in the 1980s, the trend has been for a great deal of taxpayer-funded social service work to be outsourced to nonprofit organizations instead of being performed directly by public employees. AFSCME made a strategic decision to follow that work, and today, it represents employees of nonprofits that get funding from state and local governments. Fun fact: AFSCME’s official color is Kelly Green, a nod to the tradition of Irish-Americans being strongly represented in public service.
Council 75 27,036 members
525 NE Oregon St, Fifth Floor, Portland, Oregon
Better known as Oregon AFSCME, it’s a statewide council that all of the nearly 200 AFSCME locals in Oregon belong to. Its Portland-area locals have office space on two floors at 525 NE Oregon St. that are rented from fellow public sector union SEIU Local 503.
Local 88 3,487 members
Represents most employees at Multnomah County, but also Central City Concern and Transition Projects, two large nonprofits that have contracts with the county.
Local 189 819 members
The biggest union at the City of Portland, it represents workers in the water, transportation, housing, planning, permitting bureaus, as well as non-sworn support staff in the police bureau, staff in the police oversight office, and the auditor’s office. It also represents parking enforcement employees at the Portland Airport.
Local 3580 469 members
Represents workers at Metro, including transportation and urban planners, workers at Metro waste transfer stations, and workers at the Oregon Zoo, Oregon Convention Center, Portland Expo Center, and Portland’5 Centers for the Arts.
The biggest local in Oregon, it represents about 7,000 workers at Oregon Health and Science University.
Known as the United We Heal local, it represents workers in the field known as behavioral health, which encompasses both addiction treatment and mental health. That includes employees of Basic Rights Oregon, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, Fora Health, Janus Youth Programs, Lifeworks NW, Lines for Life, Mid-Columbia Center for Living, New Avenues for Youth, Outside In, Sunstone Way, and Volunteers of America
Steel Workers (USW)
United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial & Service Workers International Union
With 527,000 members, is one of America’s great industrial unions, representing workers in steel, aluminum, paper, rubber, oil, chemicals, manufacturing, and even health care and public service.
District 12 8,000 members
Headquartered in Longview, Washington, District 12 includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
Local 6163 655 members
1400 Salem Ave. SE, Albany, Oregon
Represents workers at ATI-Wah Chang.
Local 1097 605 members
Represents workers at the Georgia-Pacific paper mill in Wauna, Oregon
Local 8378 280 members
Represents workers at Cascade Steel Rolling Mills in McMinnville.
Local 1146 187 members
Represents workers at the Georgia-Pacific tissue paper mill in Halsey, Oregon, 20 miles south of Corvallis.
Local 9559 180 members
Represents workers at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon, Oregon.
Local 330 135 members
2205 N Lombard St
The union that historically represented workers at the now-defunct Reynolds aluminum smelter in Troutdale, today it represents workers at Owens-Brockway Glass Container and Malarkey Roofing Products.
Local 1189 100 members
Represents workers at Cascade Pacific Pulp pulp mill which is right next to the GP tissue mill in Halsey.
Local 7150 130 members
Represents workers at ATI Wah Chang in Albany.
Teachers (AFT)
1.8 million members
American Federation of Teachers
You might guess that AFT represents K-12 teachers, but that’s not the case in Oregon, and nationally it has a much smaller presence among licensed primary and secondary school teachers than the much larger NEA. Instead you’ll find AFT members are more often school support staff, college faculty, grad student workers, nurses and health professionals, and public employees. In Oregon, there’s a traditional direct AFT affiliate called AFT-Oregon, but also three large Oregon unions that are directly affiliated with AFT.
AFT-Oregon 12,770 embers
Represents members at 19 locals, including classified support workers at K-12 schools and community colleges, university and community college faculty, and graduate student employees.
Local 5017 — Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP) 5827 members
OFNHP represents nurses, lab techs, and other professional health care workers at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and Southwest Washington, plus technologists at St. Charles Hospital in Bend and three PeaceHealth hospitals: Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, St. John Medical Center in Longview, and Sacred Heart Riverbend Medical Center in Springfield.
Local 5905 — Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) 14,177 members
Represents registered nurses at hospitals and clinics throughout the state (except at Kaiser Permanente).
Local 6732 — Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA) 12,770 members
Represents school district support employees, ranging from school secretaries and cafeteria workers to school bus drivers and teacher aides.
Local 6552 — Northwest Medicine United 60 members
Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association
Begun in 2016, it represents physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in Oregon and Washington.
Teamsters (IBT)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
One possibly the most diverse unions in terms of industries represented, today’s 1.25 million-strong Teamsters union started among drivers of teams of horses, hence the name and the famous two-horse logo. But it later firmly established itself as a truck drivers union, expanding into warehousing, manufacturing, food processing and other industries. Mergers brought in brewers, printers, and more, so that today the Teamsters is probably the most “general” of any union.
Serves and coordinates locals in Oregon, southwest Washington, and western Idaho
Local 81 239 members
1874 NE 162nd Ave., Portland, Oregon
Represents truck drivers at shipping companies like TForce Freight, ABF Freight, Oak Harbor Freight Lines and Lee & Eastes Tank Lines.
Local 162 6,228 members
1850 NE 162nd Ave, Portland, Oregon
Represents truck drivers, warehouse workers, and mechanics in freight, package delivery, intermodal, and soft drink, beer, and food distribution, inluding workers at UPS, Sysco, Pepsico, Coca-Cola, U.S. Foods, Kroger, and Albertsons.
Local 206 2,351 members
1850 NE 162nd Ave., Portland, Oregon
With offices in Portland, Springfield and North Bend, it represents drivers, mechanics and warehouse workers at UPS, ABF, TForce, U.S. Foods, Kroger, Alsco, Univar, and Aramark, as well as truck drivers in construction.
Local 223 2,320 members
15 82nd Dr., Suite 10, Gladstone, Oregon
Represents paramedics and emergency medical technicians at AMR, as well as workers in law enforcement and public works.
Local 305 3,570 members
1870 NE 162nd Ave, Portland, Oregon
Represents workers at ABF Freight, Albertson’s, Alsco, Bimbo Bakeries, Global Parking, Pride Disposal, Gresham Sanitoary, Hertz, Penske, Hillboro Garbage, among others.
Local 324 1,828 members
4871 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem
Represents drivers, mechanics and warehouse workers at UPS, Bimbo Bakeries, Aramark, Alsco, Americold, and others.
Local 670 2,787 members
Represents drivers, mechanics and warehouse workers at UPS, ABF, Tforce, Americold, Aramark, Kraft Heinz, and Bimbo Bakeries.
Transit Workers (ATU)
Amalgamated Transit Union
Founded in 1892, ATU represents bus drivers, rail operators, mechanics, maintenance workers, and other employees in public and private transportation, including urban transit systems, intercity bus lines, school buses, and paratransit services.
Local 757 5,444 members
1801 NE Couch St. Portland, Oregon
Represents bus and rail operators, mechanics, dispatchers, and others at nearly two dozen transit agencies and school districts and transit and paratransit contractors in Oregon and Southwest Washington including TriMet, C-TRAN, Lane Transit District, Salem Area Mass Transit, Portland Public Schools, First Student, and Transdev.
UNITE HERE
Represents 296,000 workers in the hospitality, food service, gaming, and textile industries across the United States and Canada. Its members include hotel housekeepers, restaurant servers, cooks, bartenders, cafeteria workers, airport concessions staff, casino dealers, and laundry and garment workers. It was formed in 2004 through the merger of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE).
5030 1st Ave S, Ste 201, Seattle, Washington
Headquartered in Seattle, it represents hotel workers at the Vancouver Hilston and at five hotels in Portland: The Portland Hilton and its adjacent Duniway Hotel, the Benson Hotel, the Paramount Hotel, and the Hyatt Regency at the Oregon Convention Center.
Utility Workers (UWUA)
Utility Workers Union of America
UWUA represents 43,000 U.S. workers in the electric, natural gas, water, and nuclear energy industries, but doesn’t have a big presence in Oregon.
Local 197 18 members
Represents workers at Pacific Power in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Wobblies (IWW)
Industrial Workers of the World
IWW, whose members are affectionately termed “Wobblies” was a radical and potent union in the 1910s before being driven to near extinction by employer and state repression. Today the self-described “one big union” is one of the smallest of unions, reporting 8,135 members nationwide. But it’s been eager to make a comeback in recent years, and has succeeded in winning union elections at coffee and donut shops, and restaurants, and even won national fame for winning a union contract at fast food chain Burgerville.
Portland branch 150 members
Rechartered in 1997, the Portland branch is one of the most active in the nation.
Mid-Valley IWW 23 members
Focused on the Salem, Oregon, area
