Labor History

Operating Engineers Local 701 celebrates its centennial

Oregon was a very different place when the International Union of Steam Operating Engineers chartered a new local Sept. 18, 1918.

United Way’ers, labor partners from across the country take part in ‘Labor Walk’

The 1.7-mile-walk through downtown Portland stopped at spots important to local labor history.

Song of the Stubborn One Thousand

A new book tells the story of a remarkable union victory in a California frozen food strike during an era of union-busting.

The master organizer behind César Chávez

Fred Ross believed a good union organizer should fade into the crowd while others step forward.

Return of the Loyal Legion?

A SE Portland beer hall takes its name from an early 20th century union-busting group

The Labor Press — in 1916

This year we're reproducing the front pages of 1916 editions.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s unfinished labor

In the end, King turned his focus to economic justice.

Letter Carriers Branch 82 celebrates 125 years of union

Branch 82 maintains photos and detailed historical records dating back to its formation in 1890.

Poet, songwriter, labor activist Joe Hill had connections to Portland

Don't mourn, organize: Local activists will commemorate the 100th anniversary of his execution

Beyond ‘Wages, Benefits and Working Conditions’

In post-war St. Louis, two visionary Teamsters put their union in service of the community.

Latest trade union spy novel published to acclaim

Local union attorney Susan Stoner has published the fifth in her series of historical novels

Remembering Portland Longshore’s Bloody Wednesday

On July 11, 1934, a train full of Portland police opened fire on a strike picketline; 4 were hit.

A look back: Astoria’s radical immigrant labor past

Astoria, the U.S. oldest western settlement, was a waterfront boomtown full of radical immigrants

Labor attorney publishes fourth in series of novels about Portland’s trade union past

The historical mystery series follows a fictional trade union spy in early 1900s Portland.

1963 March on Washington — time to march again

Conventional narratives of the March downplay its economic demands — and labor’s central role

2011: Year One of the Great Fightback

2011 —Year 3 of the Great Recession — may be remembered as Year 1 of the Great Fightback.

100 years later, forgotten Chehalis ‘Girls’ are honored

A new monument marks the grave of eight Chehalis girls killed in a 1911 fire at Imperial Powder.

New book brings to life MLK’s dreams of economic justice

Labor scholar Michael Honey has published a collection of King’s speeches about economic justice.

Book depicts mid-century millworkers at Crown Zellerbach

A new limited edition book tells stories of unionism, strikes, and dangerous working conditions at Crown Zellerbach in West Linn.