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
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.
Our history can inspire today’s young workers
General strikes created labor heroes, along with a few labor martyrs, and they inspired new generations of workers to join unions.
Bricklayers Local 1 celebrates 125 years
When BAC Local 1 began on May 22, 1893, bricklayers were making $6 a day and working six 10-hour days a week.
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.
Solidarity — Now, and Forever: Tacoma labor honors the man who wrote “Solidarity Forever”
In Tacoma, Ralph Chaplin’s spirit is marching on.
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.
