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.
Tag:
Laborers Local 737
Union Organizing
Parking workers at Moda Center join Laborers Local 737
Attendees pay $37 to park at events. Parking workers make $19.50 an hour ... and park their own cars in a gravel lot by the railroad tracks.
Training the Next Generation
Facelift at Oregon’s House of Labor
Thanks to construction union apprentices and journeymen from six local unions, the Oregon Labor Center is looking better than ever.
Union democracy
Newly reelected, Culver sets sights on jobs and growth for Local 737
Local 737’s roughly 2,900 members work in construction, public works, shipyards, and even manufacturing.
Labor History
Laborers Local 737 throws a party to celebrate its 10th birthday
Formed from the merger of three unions, the local now tops 2,900 members and spans construction, roads, shipyards, and public works.
Building our communities
Roofers and Laborers ride to the rescue of a Mounted Explorer post
Union volunteers from Roofers Local 49 and Laborers Local 737 saved a Gresham hay barn for Mounted Explorer Post 686 in September.
Building our communities
Sharing stories of recovery and resilience
Workers in construction face high rates of addiction. But there’s support to be found among union brothers and sisters.
In Memoriam
George Gritz, 1948-2025
Gritz served as leader of the Laborers union in Eastern Oregon for decades, and was a big part of leadership in the state building trades.
Culture
Building Sisterhood
At Laborers Local 737, women members meet monthly for uplift and support.
Oregon
To protect highway workers, lawmakers look to speed cameras
John Hanner wants lawmakers to know that photo radar in highway work zones could avert deaths and injuries — like the one he suffered.
Portland
Laborers 737 pulls its backing of Rubio for Portland mayor
The union's political director says her record of unpaid parking tickets and other infractions was ‘beyond the pale.’
Collective bargaining
Laborers rise $9.25/hr in new agreements
Traffic flaggers — who have one of the most dangerous jobs — will get even bigger raises, starting with an immediate raise of $8 an hour.
Building our communities
Raising funds for kids with cancer
A union-sponsored St. Patrick’s Day party will net over $25,000 for Children’s Cancer Association this year once expenses are tallied.
People
MMA marks a new start for a laborer with a checkered past
Martial arts helped Jimmy Jennett recover from drug addiction, and he opened a gym in 2018 to share his story.
Collective bargaining
Trades workers ratify contract at Home Forward
The three-year contract covers 56 trades workers. It raises starting pay $9 an hour on average and adds new safety provisions.
Workers Rights
Shipyard workers in an uproar over paint damage to cars
An improperly contained cruise ship paint job resulted in paint particles floating almost a half-mile to the employee parking lot.
Oregon
Laborers honor Paul Holvey with new award
The Jodi Guetzloe Parker Legislative Champion Award recognizes state legislators who went above and beyond for the Laborers union.
People
Jodi Guetzloe Parker’s life in Labor
Never one to seek the limelight, she served the Laborers for decades as a tireless foot soldier for the cause of labor.
Union democracy
Culver re-elected at Laborers Local 737
Local 737 represents laborers in construction, shipyards, and road maintenance, plus several hundred public works employees.
Building our communities
Recruiting out in the community
R&B. Barbecue. And a chance at a family wage. The Community Pulse Series is meant to recruit people of color to the trades.
People
End of the line
The chief union steward at Portland's shipyard is retiring after 35 years on the waterfront, and 30 years as a member of Laborers Local 737.
