Culture

The Stand: boosting labor and labor’s story

Washington state’s best (and only) news outlet dedicated to unions and working people, The Stand just turned 10.

Union logos get a little love

A new Twitter account dedicated to sharing union logos has quickly developed a fan base in the union Twitter world.

Local cement mason competes in Season 2 of the CBS reality show Tough as Nails

Liz Nichols, a seven-year member of the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons union, is one of 12 contestants on the show.

Construction coalition plans campaign to end on-the-job harassment of women, minorities

More than 60 union leaders, general contractors, public project owners, trade groups, and others took part in a Dec. 3 Safe From Hate summit.

Labor novel of the year: The Cold Millions, by Jess Walter

The Cold Millions, by bestselling author Jess Walter, chronicles the Wobbly free speech fights of 1909 Spokane.

Unions and contractors ready for Safe from Hate

Portland-area construction unions, contractors and subcontractors will join an industry effort to make workplace culture more welcoming.

Southwest Washington Central Labor Council launches new podcast

Working to Live in Southwest Washington will launch Sept. 5. The plan is to talk with local newsmakers about kitchen table issues.

Spreading the union’s inspiration by air and by internet

A new web project showcases and connects more than four dozen labor podcasts and radio shows from around the nation.

Labor Day picnics canceled

With large gatherings banned until there’s a reliable treatment for COVID-19, Labor Day picnics in Oregon and SW Washington have been canceled this year.

Police unions come in for questioning

Police unions have almost always been an awkward fit in the House of Labor.

Noose incident leads unions to call for culture change in construction

When an apprentice encountered a noose on the job, no action was taken for weeks. Building trades unions say that's got to change.

In the era of COVID-19, the union hall is going virtual

Unions are finding that holding meetings online is actually increasing attendance. One union is even holding its national convention online.

End of an era: Labor cartoonists say farewell

Labor cartoonists Mike Konopacki and Gary Huck are closing down their cartoon syndicate.

Oregon’s logger union fighters come alive in a novelistic rejoinder to Ken Kesey’s scab heroes

The novel's heroes are a Finnish immigrant family in Astoria in the early 20th century, exploited as fishers and loggers, who become involved with the IWW.

Class struggle takes the stage at the 2020 SAG Awards

The union's top award went to the Korean cast of Parasite, the runaway hit dark comedy that depicts a working class family that connives to escape dire poverty by getting jobs as servants for a rich family.

In 1900s Portland , child labor was real … and awful

Child labor is the theme of the eighth in a series of closely-researched historical detective fiction novels set in the Portland of the early 20th century, written by retired union attorney Susan Stoner.

Honoring union screen actors, in Hollywood and at home

Unlike the better-known Oscars, the annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards are for acting only, and honorees are chosen by their fellow union members. In Portland, the annual SAG Awards Watch party doubled as a fundraiser for a beloved figure in the local.

VIEW RECENT ISSUES