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.
Don McIntosh
Editor Don McIntosh has been with the Northwest Labor Press since 1998. Born in Baltimore, he moved to Portland in 1985, and first practiced journalism at the Daily Vanguard, Portland State University's student newspaper. After earning a bachelor's in history, he served as an underground union organizer (salt) with Teamsters Local 174 in Seattle. Back in Portland, he wrote for the Portland Business Journal and Willamette Week and was editor of the Portland Alliance, a monthly community newspaper.
National
Judges order reinstatement of fired federal workers
Tens of thousands of federal workers were illegally fired during their probationary period under orders from the Trump administration.
National
Trump cancels union rights for TSA officers
Trump appointee Kristi Noem ended collective bargaining for 47,000 TSA officers, trash-talked the union, and slammed public employee rights.
Worker safety
IBEW Local 48 member gets Red Cross lifesaving award
Bryan Barker's actions on the job saved the life of a fellow worker who fell 20 feet and suffered a severe cut on his arm.
National
Judge: Trump firing of NLRB member was illegal
The National Labor Relations Board is back in business thanks to a federal court ruling.
National
Trump administration: Do your own card check
FMCS will stop providing free “card check” services when employers agree to recognize a union based on signed union authorization cards.
National
DOGE: Too many labor mediators?
FMCS helps avert strikes by sending mediators to shuttle between union and employer negotiators when talks break down.
National
Bipartisan bill would ensure that if workers unionize, they get a contract
Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley signed on to the bill, which was sponsored by Republican Josh Hawley of Missouri.
National
Senate confirms Trump labor secretary
Lori Chavez-DeRemer won Senate confirmation 67-32, with Democrats split and a few Republicans voting against her for being too pro-union.
Union Organizing
Security guards unionize at Multnomah County
The security officers work for Inter-Con Security Systems, which started a five-year, $40 million contract with Multnomah County last year.
Union Organizing
NIETC apprenticeship instructors join union
The union-sponsored electrical training center voluntarily recognized the unit after all instructors signed a petition seeking recognition.
People
New director at Oregon Tradeswomen
Nonprofit Oregon Tradeswomen prepares women to enter apprenticeship programs in skilled construction and mechanical trades.
Collective bargaining
Sweet contract at Nabisco
More than three years after a bitter 40-day strike, Mondelez-Nabisco seems to have decided it wants labor peace.
National
Chavez-DeRemer walks back support for PRO Act
President Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, a former Oregon Congresswoman, won’t push a minimum wage increase either.
National
Federal worker purge hits the Northwest hard
Trump’s mass firing of probationary employees is hitting workers who fight forest fires and maintain the power grid.
Oregon
Lawsuit aims to strike down Oregon’s new cannabis labor peace law
Measure 119, sponsored by UFCW Local 555, passed in November with the support of 57% of voters.
Jobs
Associated General Contractors sues Tina Kotek
Oregon's attorney general will defend the governor’s executive order, which directs state agencies to use project labor agreements.
Analysis
Fewer strikes in 2024
Major work stoppages were down in 2024, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but still more than any year between 2001 and 2018.
Union Organizing
Outsourced Providence lab workers unionize
The Catholic health chain outsourced diagnostic lab operations and leased their workplace to a giant for-profit company known as LabCorp.
Jobs
NXT Clean Fuels cleared for takeoff, almost
NXT wants to spend $2.5 billion to construct a plant at the Port Westward Industrial Park in Clatskanie, Oregon.
Collective bargaining
New contract for Alaska flight attendants raises pay up to 28%
The new deal, approved by 95%, puts the 7,000 workers ahead of inflation and returns Alaska to its former status as top-paid in the industry.
