Oregon/Washington

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.

For working Washingtonians, a breakthrough session in Olympia

Lawmakers voted to tax the rich and invest in infrastructure.

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.

Washington AFL-CIO will push the Democrats on pro-worker agenda

Last November’s election resulted in stronger majorities of pro-labor Democrats in the 2019 legislative session that began Jan. 14.

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.

Republican operative sends counterfeit union mailings to mislead Washington voters

The mailers try to trick voters into writing in the names of candidates who aren’t running … to drain support from union-backed candidates who are.

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 Washington’s November general election

With Carolyn Long running a strong campaign against incumbent Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera-Beutler, it could be an interesting election year for Southwest Washington.

Making sense of the ballot measures

In the next three weeks, Oregonians will vote on whether to give giant grocery companies a special immunity from taxes, while Washingtonians will vote on whether to make the state a national clean energy leader.

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.

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