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.
Analysis
There’s news and statistics. And then there’s putting it all together to get the big picture. In this section, we analyze trends and try to make sense of the world we live in.
Joe Biden: The best president labor ever had
He promised to be the most pro-union president in U.S. history. His administration went out of their way to keep that promise.
2024 in labor
For New Years, we took a look at the most important events for organized labor and working people — in Oregon, Washington and nationwide.
Boeing gives copy-cat raises to its non-union assembly workers in South Carolina
A union fight has once again raised standards for non-union workers too.
2024: The rest of the story
We’ve reported over 300 stories in 2024. At year's end, we update readers about what happened since we published some of those stories.
Why working class voters are turning away from the Democrats
Two Harvard researchers went to Pennsylvania. They found a lost world of thriving main streets, stable families, and tight social networks.
How Oregon election workers ensure accurate ballot counts
Every election season, union members in Oregon ensure the security of ballots, and the accuracy of counts.
FTC takes on hedge fund landlords
Would-be homebuyers are increasingly losing bidding wars to large investors. Senator Jeff Merkley wants to rein in hedge fund landlords.
Gallup: 70% approve of unions
And respondents who say they disapprove of unions is down to 23%, the lowest since 1967.
CEOs now paid 268 times what an average worker makes
It wasn’t always this way. In 1965, the typical CEO of a big U.S. corporation made 21 times the pay of the average worker.
The Strike Returns
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bloomberg agree: 2023 was the biggest strike year in decades.
Reality Check
Labor professor Gordon Lafer can be relied on to tell it straight. Was there something different about the strike upsurge of 2023? We asked.
U.S. union membership hits new low: 10.0%
That’s down just a hair from 2022, when it was 10.1% according to the most recent annual report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
2023 in labor
Here are some of last year’s most important developments for organized labor and working people in Oregon, Washington and nationwide.
2023: The rest of the story
Since the start of 2023, we’ve reported almost 400 stories - here, we check in on what’s happened since we last reported on some of them.
Decision nears on Kroger-Albertsons merger
If Biden’s FTC approves it, a combination of Kroger and Albertsons would create a near-monopoly. The two of them own 40 grocery chains in all.
Hot labor summer: Hype, or a real shift in mood?
Strikes are way up. Union approval is at a 57-year high. And yet as a percent of the workforce unions are at the lowest level since the '20s.
Union 101: What is a union?
At its most basic, a union is just a group of workers that takes action together to promote their common interests.
ECONOMY: Inflation drops to 4.9%
Though high by some measures, it’s the lowest it’s been since June 2021, and well below the recent peak of 9.1% in June 2022.
Big strikes creep up again in 2022
At least 23 major work stoppages broke out last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Feb. 22—up from 16 the previous year.
Lessons from the picket line
Labor’s ultimate weapon is rarely used today. So we asked readers who’ve been on strike: What’s it like? Three of them shared their stories.
