Politics

AFL-CIO rates Oregon lawmakers

State Rep. Val Hoyle of Eugene is named the Oregon AFL-CIO’s “Legislator of the Year.”

IBEW organizer appointed to convention center board

Bob Carroll succeeds Ed Barnes on the Vancouver Public Facilities District board of directors.

Labor Council weighs in on Clackamas County urban renewal

NOLC also backs measures in West Linn and Beaverton.

They’re baaaack: Eyman, liquor privatization return to Washington ballot

Washington voters decide Nov. 8 whether to privatize liquor stores as Costco proposes.

Congressman Peter DeFazio: A Message to Labor

Unionists hear a call to fight back in 2012 and make Wall Street pay.

Top Dems debate, seeking Oregon AFL-CIO backing

Delegates debate but make no endorsement in Oregon's 1st Congressional District.

SW Washington CLC ends Columbian boycott; endorses city council pols

The newspaper was put on the boycott list in January after complaints of slant against unions and public employees.

Oregon AFL-CIO gears up for biennial convention

A Sept. 26-28 meeting of the state labor federation will draw some of the state's top political figures.

Backers withdraw anti-union petition

An anti-union ballot initiative was withdrawn by its sponsors. Backers didn’t respond to calls.

A dozen unions plan to boycott 2012 Democratic convention

Building trades unions are unhappy with the choice of anti-union North Carolina for the convention.

Avakian, Witt woo building trades unions

Building Trades unions meet on the Oregon coast to consider endorsements and set policy.

Union foe Bill Sizemore spends 18 days in jail

The anti-tax crusader jailed for failing to file tax returns; and more jeopardy may be on the way.

Washington labor convenes in SeaTac for jam-packed convention

The state AFL-CIO released its ranking of Washington lawmakers, and it wasn't pretty.

AFL-CIO tallies slew of anti-union votes in Congress

The national AFL-CIO has released its interim rating of members of Congress for 2011.

Backers file second ballot initiative aimed at public employee unions

Former columnist David Reinhard is behind a new initiative campaign aimed at public employee unions.

AFL-CIO won’t hold endorsement vote until U.S. Rep. Wu’s resignation is official

The AFL-CIO’s next gathering is its state convention Sept. 25-28 in Eugene.

UFCW’s Brad Witt runs for Congress

UFCW Local 555 rep Brad Witt is challenging Congressman David Wu in the Democratic primary.

Oregon Legislative session 2011 a mixed bag for labor

Oregon lawmakers wrapped up the 2011 Legislative session June 30. If there was anything memorable in it for working people, it was that lawmakers finally cut corporate tax breaks down to size … except when they were giving out new ones. It was also the year that the Oregon Legislature gave state agencies a new aspirational goal: Lay off managers, not just front-line state employees. In a state with 9.6 percent unemployment, the closest lawmakers got to passing a jobs bill was a pilot project that will employ some workers on energy efficiency retrofits of public schools, or maybe the new law removing procedural roadblocks to pipelines and other “linear” construction projects.

Local voters mostly reject union picks in Oregon’s May 17 election

Portland voters rejected a six-year $548 million bond measure repairing and remodeling schools.

Agencies near and dear to labor mostly spared cuts by Legislature

Among state agencies of concern to labor - BOLI, LERC, ERB - the scenario is belt-tightening but no disabling cuts.

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