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.
Oregon
Oregon Legislature one third of the way through
Several bills backed by organized labor are progressing through the legislative process. Others are still at the starting line.
Hundreds rally in Salem for jobs and solidarity
Oregon AFL-CIO sponsored a March 7 “Jobs Rally” on the Oregon Capitol steps
SEIU 49 scores Oregon’s biggest private-sector win in decades
Support and maintenance workers at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend voted 267 to 261 to unionize.
Bill proposes ‘bereavement’ be added to Family Leave Act
A member of Bakers Union Local 114 is behind a bill in the Oregon Legislature.
Single-payer summit draws 400
The Oregon Single Payer Conference drew attendees from around the state.
IBEW’s Malbin to co-chair prevailing wage advisory panel
Norman Malbin is in-house counsel for the IBEW Local 48.
Kitzhaber taps Shepard for labor adviser
Duke Shepard has been Oregon AFL-CIO political director since January 2006.
Unions prepare to defend working families agenda in Salem
Oregon’s citizen legislature convenes Feb. 1.
Machinists, Woodworkers district lodges consolidate
A new group, 6,000-member International Association of Machinists District W24, is born of merger.
Kulongoski report takes aim at state employees’ compensation
Oregon's outgoing governor is proposing that next year's Legislature make a series of cuts to state employee compensation.
AFSCME’s Ridderbusch named to governor-elect’s transition team
Oregon AFSCME staff rep Randy Ridderbusch has been named to Governor-elect John Kitzhaber’s transition team regarding the Department of Human Services, the Department of Corrections and the Oregon Youth Authority.
Mohlis, Byrd named to governor-elect’s transition team
Oregon Governor-elect John Kitzhaber campaigned on job creation, and even before taking office announced the formation of five teams aimed at helping grow Oregon’s economy. Each team will develop statutory and regulatory recommendations for the legislative session that begins Feb. 1.
Labor vote makes the difference in tight Oregon races
In Oregon, organized labor’s get-out-the-vote campaign propelled Democrat John Kitzhaber to the governor’s mansion. Kitzhaber defeated political newcomer Chris Dudley by the narrowest of margins. Labor-endorsed candidates also fared quite well down the ticket.
Oregon, Washington labor weigh election results
Oregon voters mostly returned labor-backed Democrats to office, bucking the national Republican tsunami in the midterm elections. But for Washington's union movement, election night was bittersweet.
Labor pulling hard for Kitzhaber
In an Oregon governor's race close enough to hinge on union member turnout, organized labor is pulling hard for John Kitzhaber, while Chris Dudley lacks any union endorsement. That’s because Kitzhaber’s platform is much closer to what the union movement has been advocating in Salem. It’s also because Kitzhaber has sought union support, and Dudley has not.
Portland meeting with Trumka and Kitzhaber draws over 500
National AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka, on a Aug. 23-24 visit to Portland, rallied local union activists to stay politically active despite disappointments, and to help elect John Kitzhaber as governor of Oregon.
