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:
UA Local 290
Building our communities
Retired union welder gives $500,000 to Shriners Hospital
Duke Mitchell worked, saved, and invested, and now, at 96, has set an extraordinary example of giving.
Collective bargaining
Vigor shipyard workers vote to authorize strike
Tired of being disrespected, shipyard workers are demanding a family-friendly work week.
Jobs
UO’s new $1 billion Knight Science Campus will be built under a PLA
Oregon State Building Trades signed a project labor agreement with UO and Hoffman Construction on the project, which will be built in four phases over 10 years and employ up to 1,300 construction workers.
Union democracy
Metal trades council elects new officers
Jason Joeckel of Laborers Local 737 is the new secretary-treasurer of the Metal Trades Council, which represents workers at the Portland Shipyards.
Union democracy
Plumbers & Fitters Local 290 members elect Lou Christian as business manager
It was his third race against Al Shropshire.
Culture
Local 290 apprentices compete in regional contest
Pavel Kovalenko and Michael Kitt took second place.
Collective bargaining
Plumbers & Fitters #290 ratifies six-year contract
Bargaining took less than 3 hours, and the result is an increase of $16.03 over six years.
Culture
Troublemakers take over Local 290 hall
Over 200 rank-and-file union activists took part in Portland’s third biennial Labor Notes “Troublemakers School.”
Collective bargaining
Vigor shipyard workers vote to extend contract to Sept. 1
The extension will give the sides more time to address problems with multi-employer pension plans.
Trade
Rank-and-file union members: “It’s up to you and me, STOP the TPP”
Farmers markets are free trade. Corporate trade deals like the TPP, not so much.
Worker safety
Lead crisis in schools: Could underfunding of maintenance be the culprit?
Decades of cuts have made insufficient maintenance the new normal.
Jobs
Pipeline to good jobs: Congressmembers tour UA Local 290 training center
The union-funded center graduates high-in-demand journeymen who make $42.83 an hour.
Workers Rights
Southern Oregon University pays $2.5 million wage settlement to workers who built new campus dorms
The settlement wasn’t about cheating workers, but about how the university handled bidding.
Health Care
Don’t let sleep deprivation take a toll on your health
Union members won the eight-hour day. Now it may be time to fight for the eight-hour night.
Health Care
At Local 290, retirees get strong union support to stay healthy
The Plumbers and Steamfitters retirees get a $575 incentive payment to attend wellness classes.
Trade
Plumbers to politicians: Which side are you on?
Local 290 won't endorse any politician who votes for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
In Memoriam
William James “Billy” McNicholas, 1926- 2015
The longtime Plumbers union officer was an Irish tenor and a WWII-era vet.
Union democracy
Plumbers and Fitters Local 290 re-elects Al Shropshire
Local 290 represents 4,100 workers in construction, industrial, and shipyards.
Building our communities
Plumbers & Fitters Local 290 host Tigard-Tualatin Industrial Arts Class
Tigard students weld, braze, solder, do mechanical drawings, and see how math applies to a trade
Collective bargaining
City of Portland workers reject contract
Tallied Feb. 10, the vote is 462 for and 635 against.
