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.
International
Union jurisdiction may end at national boundaries, but solidarity knows no borders. In this section, we report on the international trade union movement, and efforts at cross-border worker solidarity. Workers of the world, unite!
AFL-CIO statement: End the conflict in Iran
SEIU was first to issue a statement, the day the war began, denouncing the “reckless regard for working people’s lives.”
Nike still in race for world’s lowest wages
How low can wages go? Not low enough if you’re Nike, which pioneered outsourcing apparel manufacturing to the poorest countries in the world.
U.S. ranks near bottom in worker rights commitments
The U.S. has ratified just 2 of 10 core ILO worker rights treaties — fewer than nearly every ally and countries with terrible labor records.
Lacey Machinist released from ICE detention
Maximo Londonio, a forklift driver at Crown Cork and Seal, was held at an immigration detention facility in Tacoma almost two months.
Garment workers confront Nike over wages
When three Indonesian factory workers visited Nike’s downtown Portland store May 27, they recognized parts of shoes that they cut or stitched.
Labor secretary slashes solidarity grants
Federal funding cuts have decimated the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center and all but ended U.S. support for international labor rights work.
Farmworker union organizer detained by ICE
Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez, 25, is an organizer with Familias Unidas por la Justicia, an independent union for farmworkers in the Skagit Valley.
General strike in Greece
The strike was accompanied by demonstrations in more than 300 cities, including one in the capital of Athens with a crowd of 180,000.
Canadian union announces Amazon boycott
Amazon decided to close its Quebec warehouses and lay off 4,700 employees rather than accept a union contract.
Local unions resolve to defend immigrants
AFT Local 111, Painters Local 10, IATSE Local 28 and Ironworkers Local 29 have passed resolutions pledging to mobilize members.
More local unions pass resolutions on Gaza
The latest resolutions call for an end to arming and funding Israel, and for Israel to vacate Gaza and the West Bank.
AFL-CIO condemns Hamas attacks, calls for cease-fire
The AFL-CIO, the federation of labor unions that represents about 12.5 million working people, issued a call Feb. 8 for a cease-fire in Gaza.
SEIU and AFT join call for cease-fire in Gaza
SEIU and American Federation of Teachers became the fourth and fifth national unions in the United States to call for a cease-fire in Gaza.
More unions issue call for cease-fire in Gaza
More than 50 local unions have signed a letter calling on President Joe Biden and Congress to push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
Unions call for halt to conflict in Gaza
Statements issued or signed by over a dozen unions call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages taken by Hamas.
We’re number 38!
The British anti-poverty group Oxfam recently ranked 38 developed nations on worker well-being. The United States was at or near the bottom.
Solidarity on land and sea
Foreign-flagged vessels dock in Northwest ports. Since 2020 a coalition has defended the rights of the workers who crew them.
Adidas executive flees protesters at Portland talk
Members and officers of Machinists Lodge 63 were among a group of protesters who interrupted a talk at a downtown Portland hotel.
Global corporate minimum tax moving forward, with or without U.S.
The tax will be levied on companies with revenues of over $750 million, and it's expected to generate $150 billion per year in revenue.
Massive strike in France opposes pension changes
Eight major unions took part in the strike, which shut down schools and trains nationwide and curtailed production at oil refineries.
