Oregon AFL-CIO

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.

He joins ILWU's Bruce Holte and AFSCME's Ken Allen on the nine-member body.

The state association coordinates politics and education for about 3,300 urban letter carriers in locals around the state.

A group of 13 Oregon labor leaders urge the state's congressional delegation to the costly war in Afghanistan.

Union member (and state rep) Brad Witt is considering a primary challenge to Congressman David Wu.

Attacks on public employee collective bargaining drew protests in more than 1,000 cities April 2-8.

Union ironworkers and electricians at United Streetcar in Clackamas were in the spotlight March 21 as U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stopped by.

Several bills backed by organized labor are progressing through the legislative process. Others are still at the starting line.

Oregon AFL-CIO sponsored a March 7 “Jobs Rally” on the Oregon Capitol steps

At a pair of rallies Feb. 25 and 26 in Portland and Salem, Oregonians showed solidarity with Midwest public workers.

Duke Shepard has been Oregon AFL-CIO political director since January 2006.

Oregon’s citizen legislature convenes Feb. 1.

Bob Baugh, former secretary-treasurer of the Oregon AFL-CIO and current executive director of the national AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council, received the Apollo Alliance’s Right Stuff Award. The award honors outstanding individuals working to catalyze the new clean energy economy.

Oregon Governor-elect John Kitzhaber campaigned on job creation, and even before taking office announced the formation of five teams aimed at helping grow Oregon’s economy. Each team will develop statutory and regulatory recommendations for the legislative session that begins Feb. 1.

In Oregon, organized labor’s get-out-the-vote campaign propelled Democrat John Kitzhaber to the governor’s mansion. Kitzhaber defeated political newcomer Chris Dudley by the narrowest of margins. Labor-endorsed candidates also fared quite well down the ticket.

Oregon voters mostly returned labor-backed Democrats to office, bucking the national Republican tsunami in the midterm elections. But for Washington's union movement, election night was bittersweet.

In an Oregon governor's race close enough to hinge on union member turnout, organized labor is pulling hard for John Kitzhaber, while Chris Dudley lacks any union endorsement. That’s because Kitzhaber’s platform is much closer to what the union movement has been advocating in Salem. It’s also because Kitzhaber has sought union support, and Dudley has not.

Close to 40 active members from at least 13 union locals met Aug. 28 in Portland, and not one of them was over 40 years of age.