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.
Labor History
Late Labor Press editor Gene Klare profiled in The Oregonian
The April 3 profile covers the bitter 1959-1965 strike that ended in the destruction of the union at Oregon’s largest newspaper.
Remembering the Seattle WTO protestÂ
25 years ago, unionists and greens made history in the streets of Seattle protesting against corporate-written rules for international trade.
Painters Local 10 is turning 125
It began in 1899, when 44 painters and wallpaper hangers met at the Portland hall of a fraternal order called the Improved Order of Red Men.
104 years later, Centralia IWW fight continues
Whether the American Legion or Industrial Workers of the World was to blame for a 1919 gun battle is still in dispute.
Springfield plans public celebration unveiling new labor mural
A failed campaign to save a Springfield labor history mural ended up spawning a successful campaign for a new one.
When collective begging turned to collective bargaining
The union rights Oregon public employees have today were won because workers struck in the lead up to a landmark bill in 1973.
When Vancouver teachers went to jail for striking
Return to work or go to jail. That was the ultimatum a judge gave teachers at Evergreen School District 50 years ago this month.
When the Labor Press battled the Klan
Here's the story of how this newspaper led a gutsy crusade against the hate group a century ago—then abruptly fell silent while the Klan rose to power.
A new self-guided tour of Portland Labor History
It includes Francis Murnane Memorial Wharf, a public memorial to a longshore union leader; a labor history mural at PCC Sylvania; and more.
SEIU Local 49 celebrates 100 years
The union's history began in Portland's performance venues in 1922, when theater and dance hall janitors decided to improve their working conditions.
Solidarity Forever
In honor of Labor Day, the Labor Press commissioned artist Jim Kettner to produce a graphic look at labor’s anthem, and the man who wrote it.
A forgotten strike
105 years ago, well before any law recognized union rights, a paper mill strike spread like a match to paper across Oregon and Washington.
They believed in what they believed in
The example set by Bunny Kuiken reminds us that the immigrant working class is an integral part of our history.
The law that poisoned labor: Taft-Hartley turns 75
Taft-Hartley brought 12 years of explosive union growth to a sudden end, and it contributed to what has now been a 75-year decline.
OPB to air new documentary on 1934 West Coast longshore strike
One of the most thrilling episodes of American labor history will soon come to life on Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).
What’s it like to strike?
Strikes, once common, are rare today. We asked Northwest Labor Press readers to share their strike stories.
Oregon labor history chronology
Pacific Northwest Labor History Association has published a chronology of labor history, assembled by the group’s Oregon trustee Ron Verzuh.
Labor Press celebrates 120th Anniversary
Portland unions started the Labor Press in 1900 because other newspapers failed to cover labor fairly, or at all. That need continues today.
Looking back on the Battle in Seattle
It’s been 20 years since the Seattle WTO protests. The corporate trade agenda has never recovered.
Major labor history conference in Portland
As many as 150 labor historians, students, and union members will gather in Portland May 3-5 for the annual conference of the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, which rotates through Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
