Oregon

Bill says demolition is public work too

SB 594 would add demolition and hazardous waste removal to the requirement that prevailing wage be paid on public construction projects.

Labor to lawmakers: Workers’ lives matter

Oregon OSHA has the lowest fines in the nation: The average for a fatal accident is $1,077. Oregon labor wants that to change.

Oregon paid leave ready to launch

Starting next September, Oregon workers will be able to take up to 12 weeks off using paid, parental leave.

Catching up with Christina

Worker-side labor attorney Christina Stephenson, Oregon’s next labor commissioner, describes her priorities for the job when she takes office next month.

WORKER POWER

During the 2022 election season, union backing was the decisive factor in hard-fought competitions like the race for Oregon governor.

Hospital board faces union-backed recall

The campaign submitted enough signatures to the Coos County Clerk’s office to hold a recall election for two Bay Area Health District board members.

Kotek embraces labor support in final election push

Tina Kotek has appeared at union meetings and alongside numerous labor allies in the days leading up to the election.

Union Guide to the 2022 General Election

This ballot guide lists candidates who have at least one labor organization endorsing them and who have opponents on the ballot.

Labor makes all-out push for Kotek

As House speaker for nine years, Democratic candidate for governor Tina Kotek delivered landmark union-backed legislation year after year.

Stephenson: Labor laws mean little without enforcement

Christina Stephenson says heightening BOLI’s wage theft enforcement will be a top priority if she’s elected as labor commissioner.

Unions back recall of Coos Bay hospital board

Decisions to close a psychiatric ward and hire a CEO previously convicted of fraud sparked community outrage.

Labor’s chance to send a nurse to Salem

Filling Betsy Johnson’s former seat with a solid unionist would be a big win for labor advocates in Oregon.

Recall removes unionist from Eugene City Council

Longtime union activist Claire Syrett, who was serving her third term on the Eugene City Council, lost a Sept. 6 special recall election.

State audit: Oregon Employment Department was already struggling—before the pandemic

The agency says it has hired hundreds of new workers and is making a handful of changes to improve claim response times.

National three-digit suicide hotline launches

At Oregon's Lines for Life, newly unionized call-takers expect a jump in call volume as the program rolls out.

Portland-area minimum wage reaches $14.75

Oregon’s minimum wage gets its last big increase July 1 under a 2016 law that phased in raises over six years.

Oregon primary election results

Oregon labor notched mostly wins in the 2022 primary election, particularly in the races that were the highest priority.

A Union Guide to Oregon’s May 2022 primary

Oregon voters have a lot of choices. This is a guide to which candidates want—and deserve—the support of union members and working people.

Labor unions drop Kurt Schrader and back Jamie McLeod-Skinner

Oregon's biggest and most politically active unions appear to be throwing their support behind a progressive challenger.

Crowded race for Congress in Oregon’s newest district

Two of the nine candidates running for Oregon's new Sixth Congressional District have union endorsements, and two others have union ties.

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