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:
Oregon Legislature
Politics
A labor look at Oregon’s May 2026 primary results
Labor split its picks in multiple Democratic primaries, but came together on county commission races.
Oregon
Oregon labor looks back on wins in 2026 Legislature
Lawmakers passed stable funding for the labor bureau, referred a gas tax to voters in May, and partly disconnected from the federal tax code.
Oregon
Oregon Legislature faces revenue crunch as unions prepare to rally at the Capitol
Oregon lawmakers meet from Feb. 2 to no later than March 8 for their biennial “short session,” and this one is expected to be challenging.
Analysis
2025: The rest of the story
Since the start of 2025, we’ve reported over 400 stories. Here's an update about what’s happened since we last reported on some of them.
Oregon
Kotek calls special session to look at transportation funding
The Aug. 29 session will take up legislation to pay for basic road maintenance at the state and local level and to bolster transit funding.
Jobs
Oregon fires highway workers
State lawmakers ran out of gas. Now hundreds of employees of the Oregon Department of Transportation are out of work.
Oregon
Big legislative wins for Oregon labor, but frustrations too
New laws will give unemployment benefits to strikers, boost labor law enforcement, combat construction wage theft, and expand prevailing wage.
Workers Rights
Landmark law extends jobless benefits to strikers
Union leaders are celebrating the landmark win, but are also frustrated with how hard it was to pass with a 3/5 Democratic supermajority.
Jobs
As session nears end, transportation workers worry for their jobs
Oregon lawmakers are weighing new taxes to pay for roads, but opponents may try to refer the bill to the ballot to try to defeat it.
Oregon
New law makes it illegal to falsely pose as a union rep
House Bill 3789 responds to reports of misleading mailers and house visits by anti-union groups like the Freedom Foundation.
Oregon
New law takes aim at wage theft in construction
The Oregon Legislature approved a bill that makes prime contractors and property owners liable when a subcontractor doesn’t pay its employees.
Oregon
Lawmakers strengthen public employee union law, adding fines for employer violations
Public employers will face fines if they fail to send dues deducted from member’s paychecks or share the lists of represented employees.
Workers Rights
Oregon: Stop Uber from firing us without cause
A bill in the Oregon legislature would end firings without cause, set rideshare pay standards, and make drivers eligible for paid sick leave.
Oregon
Lawmakers hear a plea for safety
Unions are backing a bill in the Oregon legislature to mandate protection for workers who interact with violent mentally ill patients.
Oregon
Legislative inaction means injuries at school will remain unrecorded
Lawmakers once again said no to a proposal to mandate reporting when school workers are injured — by students.
Oregon
Oregon Senate passes a scaled-back worker assault bill
Oregon Nurses Association wanted a bill to protect healthcare workers. Too specific, said some lawmakers.
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.
Oregon
Unions and business agree: Labor bureau is underfunded
Funding the Bureau of Labor and Industries is Oregon labor‘s top priority in the legislature this year. Will lawmakers deliver?
Oregon
Bill would end bar on unemployment benefits for strikers
Striking workers face financial distress, and companies can use this to their advantage. SB 916 intends to even the playing field.
Comment
It’s (past) time for Oregon to level the playing field
Oregon lawmakers should end the exclusion of unemployment insurance benefits for working people when they are on strike.
