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.
National
Renamed PRO Act introduced in Congress
Democrats in Congress have signed onto the PRO Act, a bill to make it easier to unionize. Republicans have not.
Biden nominates Julie Su to be Secretary of Labor
If confirmed by the Senate, she would replace Marty Walsh, who is leaving to become head of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.Â
Big strikes creep up again in 2022
At least 23 major work stoppages broke out last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Feb. 22—up from 16 the previous year.
Unemployment at its lowest in 50 years
In a Feb. 3 report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the United State gained 517,000 jobs in January.
Marty Walsh to step down as Secretary of Labor
Hockey came calling, and now a Biden administration cabinet seat is going vacant.
Biden: ‘Let’s finish the job’
Three Oregon union members were guests at Joe Biden's 2023 State of the Union address, which featured heckling and off-script engagement.
Back in charge, House Republicans cut ‘labor’ from committee name
In her opening salvo on the House floor, the committee chair made her hostility to the word labor and to unions crystal clear.
GOP House strips union rights from staff
The anti-union language was included in the first bill to pass the newly Republican-led chamber during the 118th Congress.
Biden and Congress force a contract on rail workers
History may remember the episode as a betrayal by the man who pledged to be the most pro-union president in U.S. history.
Minimum wage rises in 23 states
Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage - which is all there is in 20 states - has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009.
Biden: Congress should impose rail contract
To win paid sick days, union rail workers are ready for a nationwide strike. But Biden wants Congress to force them to accept a contract they rejected.
Airlines plagued by delays, canceled flights
Airlines have faced growing criticism for a surge in flight delays and cancellations, and failure to refund customers.
Workers rights on the ballot nationwide
Next week, voters in 37 states will consider 132 ballot measures. Those include a handful of labor-related items.
Union to feds: Don’t allow Kroger-Albertsons mega-merger
Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertsons, QFC and 40 other chains could become one company under the proposed deal.
More Perfect Union: A threat to corporate villains everywhere
A new national labor media organization debuted last year. It’s making corporations and union busters tremble.
Baseball players union joins AFL-CIO … and launches campaign to unionize minor leaguers
MLBPA’s affiliation comes as the national AFL-CIO is paying increased attention to sports unions, and recently created a Sports Council.
Union Joe
In his latest vocal support for unions, Joe Biden spent Labor Day talking up the labor movement at appearances in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.Â
New federal web site is unashamedly prounion
The Worker Organizing Resource and Knowledge Center bills itself as a one-stop shop for information on unions and collective bargaining.
Major Senate Breakthrough
A greatly scaled down Build Back Better bill will still spur climate jobs, cut drug prices, and limit corporate tax avoidance.
NLRB says union elections are up by 58%
The spike in new organizing activity is straining a labor board that’s already short-staffed and underfunded.
