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.
Culture
Union culture is certainly picnics, parades, and awards ceremonies. But union culture is also workplace culture, and efforts to greater inclusion. And it even extends to sports, and to the arts — film, books, music, drama, food, and public mural art.
Iron Workers union simplifies its name
For over a century, it has been known as the “International Association Of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental And Reinforcing Iron Workers.”
2026 Labor Day picnics
Labor’s holiday is celebrated by union members, families, and allies. Here are this year's Labor Day picnics in Oregon and Washington.
When Henry Ford ruled Detroit
A union battle at the heart of a new John Sayles novel has lessons from the age of Elon Musk.
Chavez Boulevard renaming to go before Portland City Council
The ordinance directs PBOT to absorb the roughly $200,000 cost of replacing the signs but doesn’t spell out what work to put on the shelf.
Backing the bullfighters: Oregon’s union logo rodeo circuit
Operating Engineers Local 701 is using rodeo sponsorships to raise visibility and inspire new recruits.
Surge of interest in the skilled trades among women
Oregon Tradeswomen, a nonprofit that prepares women to enter construction and other skilled trades, is seeing a big increase in interest.
Machinists/Woodworkers retirees chapter is back
The plan for the relaunched group is not just to swap old war stories but to remain in the fight.
Local Labor Honors
The Northwest Oregon Labor Council's top honors this year went to Kien Truong, a 29-year-old Vietnamese immigrant.
Red Scare, blacklist, and a body: Noir with labor in the crosshairs
Con Lehane’s detective tale is set in postwar New York as mobsters and Communists clash for control of taxi drivers.
May Day 2026
Last year, an estimated 1,000 May Day demonstrations took place across the United States. This year there were over 3,000.
Look for union entries in Rose Festival parades
This year the Portland Rose Festival Foundation is combining the Grand Floral and Starlight Parades. Both will take place Saturday, June 6.
IBEW 280’s second home in Redmond
The 7,200-square-feet building includes offices, a conference room, and a meeting hall with a capacity of 100.
Sinners and The Pitt win SAG-AFTRA awards
Screen Actors Guild president Sean Astin praised labor solidarity after the 2023 strike and name-checked fellow film and TV unions.
SAG-AFTRA’s 2026 TV and movie awards to air live on Netflix
The 32nd annual awards event, formerly known as the SAG Awards, this year was rebranded as the Actor Awards.
Newly found crime novel captures turmoil and triumph of strikes
The late Elmore Leonard's novella dives into a 1970s farmworker strike, capturing picket line tension, humor, and hard choices.
An OPCMIA Christmas
An annual Christmas dinner celebrates newly graduating apprentices and honors the most senior members for their years of service.
IBEW Local 280’s $5 million Redmond hall nears completion
The new union hall is close to UA Local 290’s hall and the Redmond airport.
New novel revives 1913 Camas millworkers strike
Novelist Dede Montgomery drew on a dissertation about the strike by Bradley Richardson, executive director of Clark County Historical Museum.
Toolbox Gallery aims to elevate the art of the trades
Thursday, Liz Nichols was pouring concrete near McDaniel High School. Saturday, she attended an art exhibit: her own.
ATU Local 757 sets up minority caucuses
ATU Local 757 members now have Black, Latino, LGBTQ+, and women caucuses to discuss work and community challenges.
