Oregon/Washington

The two labor councils had good results in a sleepy low-turnout primary election Aug. 5. All three endorsed campaigns came out on top.

The Aug. 29 session will take up legislation to pay for basic road maintenance at the state and local level and to bolster transit funding.

Thanks to legislation promoted by UFCW Local 3000, Washington state will protect the right to organize of agricultural workers in cannabis.

New laws will give unemployment benefits to strikers, boost labor law enforcement, combat construction wage theft, and expand prevailing wage.

Union leaders are celebrating the landmark win, but are also frustrated with how hard it was to pass with a 3/5 Democratic supermajority.

Oregon lawmakers are weighing new taxes to pay for roads, but opponents may try to refer the bill to the ballot to try to defeat it.

House Bill 3789 responds to reports of misleading mailers and house visits by anti-union groups like the Freedom Foundation.

Voters backed the November 2024 ballot measure by 56%. But Judge Michael Simon ruled that it violates employers’ First Amendment rights.

The Oregon Legislature approved a bill that makes prime contractors and property owners liable when a subcontractor doesn’t pay its employees.

Public employers will face fines if they fail to send dues deducted from member’s paychecks or share the lists of represented employees.

Policy bills mostly took a back seat as the legislature spent most of its time grappling with a forecasted $16 billion budget shortfall.

Oregon’s May 20 election is for non-partisan board seats on school districts and other special districts. Nearly all are unpaid volunteers.

The new rates will be $16.30 in the Portland Metro Area, $14.05 in rural counties of eastern and Southern Oregon, and $15.05 in the rest.

Unions are backing a bill in the Oregon legislature to mandate protection for workers who interact with violent mentally ill patients.

Lawmakers once again said no to a proposal to mandate reporting when school workers are injured — by students.

Oregon Nurses Association wanted a bill to protect healthcare workers. Too specific, said some lawmakers.

Not enough public process, says the court majority, after several years of process.

Legislators have been floating progressive revenue ideas, but Governor Bob Ferguson says he won't support a wealth tax.

Bills to give striking workers the right to unemployment benefits are moving forward in Oregon and Washington.

The construction trade group Associated General Contractors led a lawsuit saying Tina Kotek exceeded her legal authority.