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.
Jobs
Unions don’t just fight for workers on the job. They also fight to secure jobs in the first place. They look for ways to protect workers from job loss due to mergers, outsourcing, and new technologies. And they do what they can to help workers in the event of layoff.
Non-union elevator contractor faces federal fraud charges
Portland’s VA Medical Center may award a $12 million elevator modernization contract to a Florida company whose owner is on trial for fraud.
ILWU pickets cruise line in Seattle
American Cruise Lines is refusing to use union labor to dock and load vessels in Puget Sound ports, which is standard at West Coast ports.
City of Portland to contract out 350 union jobs
As Metro exits management of the Schnitzer and Keller venues, the “City that Works” doesn’t want the work either.
Oregon Labor Federation calls for ‘high-road standards’ in developing data centers
A new board resolution calls for state policies that ensure that digital infrastructure advances the interests of working people.
$573 million in public funds? Now the Blazers decide
Multnomah County and Portland City Council approved tentative commitments totaling $208 million in taxpayer-funded arena renovations.
Judge orders Pentagon to halt wind turbine obstruction
The Trump administration can’t continue blocking all wind energy projects. That’s what a federal judge in Oregon ruled Aug. 6.
Daimler to close Portland truck plant
For 387 workers and their families, the news landed like a sucker punch. Daimler is closing its Portland truck plant effective Oct. 30.
Oregon and Washington sue Hegseth’s Pentagon over refusal to approve wind turbines
The war on windmills is no joke. Oregon building trades unions are preparing to support the lawsuit.
Jobs is the message when Senator Merkley visits trades
Leaders of Oregon Building Trades Unions pressed the senator on the need for major projects to get moving soon.
More homeless shelter layoffs
Do Good Multnomah is implementing its fourth round of layoffs in a year, even as the the number of homeless on Portland streets increases.
Portland weighs public cash for Blazers arena upgrade
Billionaire Tom Dundon, head of an investment group that now owns the Portland Trail Blazers, wants taxpayers to pay for renovations to the Moda Center arena. Portland City Council members, organized labor, and the public are split on the idea.
Homeless nonprofit collapse puts 120 out of work
Portland shelter workers and homeless clients are paying for the misdeeds of nonprofit executives at Sunstone Way.
At Multnomah County, layoffs and more layoffs
The Labor Press spoke with AFSCME Local 88 President Jackie Tate about the tough budget times ahead.
City unions plan rally against job cuts
City unions want the city to consider layoff alternatives like curtailing management bloat and the use of expensive outside contractors.
Oregon Tradeswomen Career Fair moves to Expo Center in 2026
The two-day event connects thousands of women and girls to lucrative career pathways in trades that traditionally have been male.
Grocery union campaigns against ‘surveillance pricing’
Retailers are individually tailoring prices based on a consumer’s personal information. Electronic shelf labels could be the next frontier.
Scandal-plagued homeless service nonprofit will close
Sunstone Way execs are accused in a whistleblower lawsuit of misspending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.
Portland Opera fights to survive
Facing financial crisis, Portland Opera launches $1.5M SOS campaign as shrinking productions and pay cuts threaten its future.
Bend considers hefty fee on new gas hookups
The proposal is modeled on a similar policy enacted in Ashland that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
I-5 bridge work starts in 2028
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson says the U.S. Coast Guard's January approval of a fixed span design cleared a hurdle.
