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.
Collective bargaining
New TriMet Lift contracts raise wages up to $3.91 an hour
Problems with bathroom breaks and rider wait times are still unresolved.
Union nemesis retires at TriMet
“I wished him well … and told him to stay away from ATU,” said union president Shirley Block.
Union bargaining drags on at Fred Meyer and Safeway
Patience is running out, says the union in an online ad campaign.
Teamsters announce new 5-year contract at UPS, despite member vote to reject it
The Teamsters UPS contract is the largest collective bargaining agreement in North America, and comes at a time that UPS is booming thanks to online shopping.
Tense bargaining with Kaiser Permanente ends with national deal and pledge to work on relationship
The new deal with 22 unions covers 47,000 workers in eight states.
Washington teacher strikes end with double digit raises
At the height of the Washington teacher strike wave, as many as 8,000 teachers were walking picket lines — including 5,000 in seven Southwest Washington districts.
New Teamsters contract at AMR raises wages 21 percent over four years
The 600-member unit provides ambulance service to Multnomah and Clackamas counties in Oregon, and Clark and Cowlitz counties in Washington.
Teacher strike wave hits Washington
For 60,000 Southwest Washington students, the first lesson of the school year is about union power.
Bargaining under way for 18,000 Oregon grocery workers
UFCW Local 555's “Unity Negotiations” will set the terms for workers at Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertsons and more.
Special ed bus drivers ratify long-delayed contract with Portland Public Schools
The new agreement raises starting pay to $18.50 an hour — up from $16.25 currently.
Medical techs secure a first union contract at Sacred Heart in Eugene
The new agreement provides annual raises of 3 percent, plus additional raises of 1 to 3 percent halfway through the third year to get members on a unified union wage scale.
Columbia Area Transit in Hood River signs first union contract with ATU Local 757
The agreement provides an immediate 10 percent raise followed by three annual raises totaling 8.7 percent over the life of the four-year agreement.
Northwest Machinists members approve new four-year contract with Weyerhaeuser
Members voted down two previous company offers and authorized a strike.
Union bakers picket outside Portland home of Nabisco board member
The profitable company is halting pension contributions at the same time it pays its executives so much that even shareholders are gagging.
AFSCME members ratify first contract at Volunteers of America
The employer's hard-line stance crumbled a week before VOA’s annual fundraising gala, which the union planned to picket.
Kaiser Permanente may be near a deal with breakaway union group
A national agreement covering 47,000 Kaiser employees may be wrapped up next week.
LIFT passengers support unions too
Workers at TriMet LIFT are bargaining for a new contract, but it’s not going well.
Teamsters reach deal at UPS
If ratified, a new five-year nationwide contract will cover 260,000 workers.
UPS Teamsters authorize strike
About 280,000 workers could walk out as soon as Aug. 1.
Nabisco unilaterally implements its terms on union workers
After two years without negotiations, Mondelēz-Nabisco is withdrawing from the union pension, and implementing annual raises of 2.25 percent.
