Oregon

Public employees file lawsuit to protect PERS retirement benefits

Plaintiffs say SB 1049 is a breach of contract, an illegal taking, and violates the Constitution.

Oregon governor and legislators who voted to cut PERS won’t be on stage at Labor Day picnic

When they were campaigning, the governor and many of the legislators promised not to cut PERS benefits.

How working people and unions fared in the 2019 session of the Oregon Legislature

Lawmakers passed paid family leave and boosted school budgets, but also cut public worker compensation and punted on climate.

Oregon lawmakers vote to cut public employee retirement contributions

Democrats led the charge to divert up to 2.5 percent of public worker pay to shore up PERS.

Oregon teachers walk out for better school funding … and get it

Within a week of the walkout, lawmakers passed a bill to raise $1 billion a year for school funding through a tax on Oregon businesses with more than $1 million a year in sales.

PERS once again under attack

Top Democrats propose to cut public employee compensation and divert those resources to fund employer obligations to the pension system, but a coalition of public employee unions plans to fight the cuts in the Capitol and in the courts if need be.

Statewide teacher strike set for May 8

Teachers around Oregon will take part in a one-day walkout May 8 to demand better school funding.

LERC faces drastic budget cut

The union training and research center is slated for a 45 percent cut.

A union guide to Oregon’s May 21 election

Oregon’s nonpartisan school board and special district elections tend to have very low turnout — as low as 34 percent. That means even more than usual, union voters can make a difference.

New Oregon law bars massive rent increases

Landlords can no longer raise rent more than 7 percent plus inflation.

Labor professor Gordon Lafer runs for school board

Lafer, a professor at UO’s Labor Education and Research Center, will campaign for Eugene School Board.

Isn’t it about time for a budget bump for BOLI?

Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries has half the staff it had two decades ago, and newly installed commissioner Val Hoyle says it's time to restore funding.

What’s at stake for working people in the 2019 Oregon Legislature

Majority Democrats have some big agenda items in the 2019 Oregon Legislature, including a carbon cap, renters rights, and revenue reform.

At BOLI, a labor champion takes the reins

Newly installed Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle has had lifelong ties to the union movement, and named several labor figures to her staff.

A top national union leader, on the stump for Oregon Governor Kate Brown …

AFT national president Randi Weingarten praised the governor for preserving health care for low-income Oregonians.

A union guide to Oregon’s November general election

All over Oregon, unions are backing scores of political candidates in competitive races. And occasionally unions split on who to back.

Questions for Kate Brown

Northwest Labor Press senior staff reporter Don McIntosh spoke with Oregon Governor Kate Brown about some of the issues that matter most to working people. Here's what she said.

Oregon union members are stepping up to run for office

Rachel Prusak, Mike Ellison, and Christy Inskip are just three of the Oregon union members who are making first-time runs for office this year.

Turning the tables on union-busting canvassers

Union-funded Northwest Accountability Project is publishing the names, pictures — and in some cases addresses — of Freedom Foundation canvassers.

Oregon public employee unions drop corporate tax transparency initiative to focus on defensive ballot fights

To unite business and labor against a pair of anti-tax measures, governor Kate Brown brokers a stand-down on a union-backed initiative.

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