Northwest Labor Press is an independent union-supported newspaper founded in 1900. Our print version is mailed twice a month to about 45,000 members of over three dozen local unions in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Our online version has been maintained here since 1997.
Retirement
Increasingly, secure and dignified retirement is the difference between union and non-union employment.
Federal pension rescue is expected to help 2 million union members
The Biden administration rescued pension funds headed toward insolvency, preventing two million union members from losing benefits.
Congress restores Social Security to public workers
Thanks to end-of-session action by Congress, about 2.5 million local, state, and federal employees will have benefits restored.
AFSCME gets $5 million to seed retirement accounts for about 1,100 child care providers
The funds are deposited in OregonSaves, a state-sponsored retirement account for workers who don’t otherwise have a retirement plan.
RECIPE FOR HEALTH: Cook your own food
A Portland-based chef educator leads a cooking class for Local 290’s retirees wellness program. She says healthy eating starts with tastiness.
Teamsters Central States pension gets federal rescue
The Central States pension, which covers 357,056 workers and surviving spouses, will receive $35.8 billion in “special financial assistance."
White House fixes union pension rescue program
Local plasterers and members of OPEIU Local 11 have reason to rejoice after final rules for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Fund were announced.
There’s something you need to know about retirement …
A new book aims to explain retirement plans to union leaders. It began with what the author calls the worst financial mistake of his life.
Union group warns of serious flaws in federal pension rescue program
Pension plans that cut retiree benefits to restore solvency would face the toughest dilemma under the pension rescue rules announced July 9.
U.S. government launches pension rescueÂ
In the Portland area, Plasterers Local 82 and OPEIU Local 11 could undo pension benefit cuts almost immediately.
How the COVID relief bill saves union pensions
The just-passed COVID relief bill will rescue and restore over 100 declining union pension plans.
COVID relief bill could save distressed union pensions
Congress' latest COVID relief bill would also shore up declining union-sponsored multi-employer pensions and restore pension benefits.
Oregon Supreme Court upholds PERS cuts
The Oregon Supreme Court say lawmakers can cut benefits going forward, just not benefits employees have already earned.
Oregon Democrats meet with public workers whose retirement contributions they voted to cut
Republicans wanted deeper cuts, Oregon’s House Speaker Tina Kotek and fellow Portland House Democrat Rob Nosse told public sector union members.
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.
U.S. House passes Butch Lewis Act
The bill would give federal loans to union multi-employer pension plans to prevent their collapse.
U.S. House committee passes bill to rescue failing union pension plans
The Butch-Lewis Act would lend money to pension plans to give them a chance to recover.
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.
To restore their pension, Plasterers reduce benefits
The 2008 financial crisis is still claiming new victims.
Congress delays report on union pension fix
The Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans was supposed to vote on a solution to the looming crisis in union-sponsored pensions by the end of November.
Despite lopsided ‘no’ vote, Western States OPEIU cuts retiree benefits to halt slide to insolvency
As of Oct. 1, pension benefits were cut as much as 30 percent for retired members of Office and Professional Employees International Union in the Western United States.
