On September 6, the final gavel fell to adjourn the 59th biennial convention of the Oregon AFL-CIO at the beautiful Oregon coast — and the largest statewide convention in Oregon in decades. As soon as that gavel fell, we hit the streets of Seaside to make it clear to the state and the nation that the Oregon labor movement is standing united against the billionaire takeover of our federal government. Our action was likely the first time the streets of Seaside had been filled with hundreds of union activists. Our vision and message of solidarity, unity, and strength is necessary for the working class to effectively fight back against billionaires and CEOs and is popular regardless of the zip code or geography.
This year’s convention, the largest gathering of the Oregon labor movement, couldn’t have come at a more consequential, albeit challenging time. While over 15,000 Oregon workers have joined or formed new unions in just the last two years and though we celebrated together historic wins and gains and progress made, working people in this country are under attack by billionaires and a federal government run by and for them. In troubling times like these — as federal workers and their unions are under constant assault with the most egregious union-busting moves coming out of this administration, as leaders have just passed and signed the largest upward transfer of wealth from working families to CEOs and the most significant job-killing bill in American history, and as the very fabric of our democracy is threatened — working people and the labor movement remain a necessary check on this vision of profits over people. The 2025 Oregon AFL-CIO Convention proved to be just that as we celebrated, strategized, showcased our joy, and got serious about building an even more unstoppable working class movement for change.
In just a few short days, we learned about and shared experiences from campaigns and struggles for fair contracts and economic justice from every corner of our movement. We heard from powerful and diverse speakers about everything from Oregon’s first-in-the-nation legislative victories to the importance of regulating and engaging in conversations about AI and technology, from fighting for a worker-centered clean energy future to connecting the dots for our members about the intersectionality between the constant struggle for economic justice and the struggles for racial, gender, and reproductive justice, and broadening our collective awareness about how the care economy, caregiving and healthcare make all other work possible. With engaging workshops and training opportunities, robust discussions about critical issues facing the working class, the passage of key resolutions that will chart the course for our movement in the coming years, and a collective charge to leave Seaside more united than we were when we arrived, the Oregon labor movement is indeed ready to take on the fights ahead (You can check out our full convention recap at oraflcio.org/oregon-labor-blog).
I often say that in dark times there’s truly nothing more powerful, uplifting, and joyful than being together with your union family, and the 2025 Oregon AFL-CIO Convention proved that to be true once again. We know that the work and the fights and the struggles ahead won’t be easy. But there’s no question that a united, pissed off group of Oregon workers and a labor movement ready for these fights is an unstoppable, unavoidable force for justice. Are you ready to do everything in your power to showcase our solidarity and our strength in the coming years, despite the odds? See you in the streets!
Graham Trainor is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, the statewide federation of labor unions, representing over 300,000 working Oregonians.
