Our Jobs

Battle breaks out between labor and AGC

It took two years and a state law for building trades unions to bargain a deal with ODOT. Now a contractor group wants to blow it up.

After restorative justice coordinators unionize, Portland Public Schools ‘unassigns’ them

Although there’s no indication that the cuts are linked to their organizing efforts, workers say they feel anxious and disrespected.

Union trades workers left in the dark as Portland Public Schools prepares to sell HQ

A proposal years in the making to sell Portland Public Schools headquarters to Albina Vision Trust is moving forward.

FTC sues to stop Kroger-Albertsons merger

In court filings the antitrust agency says letting the two giants join would harm union grocery workers in particular.

To avoid bankruptcy, ILWU pays $20.5 million to replace a shipper’s lost profits

It’s the final chapter in a fight over two jobs, a dispute that shut down container shipping in Portland for years.

Stumptown Stages dumps musicians from musical theater

The nonprofit musical theater company is laying off its union musicians, saying it will use recorded music in upcoming productions.

Portland City Council questions USPS plans

Portland City Council is asking the U.S. Postal Service to hold a local public hearing about its plan to consolidate mail sorting in Oregon.

When snow and ice hit, union members were the first to respond

During severe weather, hundreds of union-represented workers keep the region running, from electric linemen to snowplow and bus operators.

Washington AG sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger

More than half of Washington supermarkets are either Kroger or Albertsons owned. The merger would eliminate head-to-head competition.

Union members pack hearing on renewable fuel refinery

Two conservation groups oppose the low-carbon fuel project, which is to be built all-union in an industrial area along the Columbia River.

Unionists protest plans for postal hub that would increase driving by letter carriers

Instead of sorting mail in the post office closest to their routes, letter carriers will drive to a massive sorting facility in Hillsboro.

Long-awaited I-5 replacement bridge starting to get real 

The proposal to replace the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River got its first big federal commitment Dec. 15: a $600 million grant.

Layoffs at Portland’s building permit bureau

The bureau is cutting 15% of its staff as the volume of building permits drops. Interest rates and Portland’s reputation are taking a toll.

Decision nears on Kroger-Albertsons merger

If Biden’s FTC approves it, a combination of Kroger and Albertsons would create a near-monopoly. The two of them own 40 grocery chains in all.

Welcoming veterans to the trades

Helmets to Hardhats and other groups are ready to help when veterans make the shift to life after military service.

PeaceHealth moves ahead with the closure of Eugene’s only hospital

Over the objection of unions and Governor Kotek, the Vancouver-based hospital chain is closing most units at its Eugene hospital as of Dec. 1

Larch Corrections Center closes

Teamsters Local 117 fought the closure of the minimum security prison in Yacolt, Washington, where about 115 members worked. But it lost.

Portland Bureau of Transportation could lay off 88

Union job cuts in the city's transportation bureau would mean more potholes and fewer streets plowed for snow.

PeaceHealth wants to close the only hospital in Eugene

The Sacred Heart Medical Center University District closure would need the approval of the Oregon Health Authority.

Cascade Tissues closes its St. Helens paper mill

About 75 paper mill workers represented by AWPPW Local 1 will lose their jobs in October when the plant closes.