2,500 rally in Portland for jobs and the middle class
A crowd of 2,500 union members, faith groups, and community allies gathered at Pioneer Courthouse Square April 16 and paraded through downtown Portland with a call for fairness, more jobs, and saving social safety net programs.

Koch brothers presence felt in Oregon
At a Georgia-Pacific paper mill in Wauna, Oregon, and three company warehouses in Portland, 900 union members are poised to go on strike. GP has changed since it was bought in 2005 by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch. A business theory book written by Charles Koch has become a management bible, and the company has broken new ground in proselytizing employees, sending packets last year to all local Georgia-Pacific workers urging them to vote Republican.
Dosha Salon hires Republican leader Bob Tiernan to handle bargaining
Newly unionized Dosha Salon and Spa has gotten off to a poor start as a union employer. It hired former Oregon Republican Party chair Bob Tiernan to oversee bargaining. And just weeks after workers voted to join CWA, the National Labor Relations Board is investigating a charge of labor law violations.
NLRB investigates rash of worker firings for Facebook posts
Rabecca Forbes vented about work, in a Facebook post. Her employer, Rock Creek Veterinary Hospital in Aloha, Oregon, learned about it, and she was fired April 1. Incidents like that are becoming increasingly common; the National Labor Relations Board has six such cases in its Seattle regional office alone.
UFCW's Witt explores possible congressional race against Wu
Union member (and state rep) Brad Witt will form an exploratory committee as he considers a possible primary challenge to Congressman David Wu in Oregon's 1st District.
Airport screeners vote 85 percent to unionize
It's one of the biggest union wins in recent times: 43,000 transportation security officers at 450 airports will be union-represented. Which union they will belong to is still to be decided.
Union and Proud: Gay rights leader bridges two movements
Gay civil rights leader Cleve Jones was a star guest April 20 at the kickoff of the newly-chartered Oregon chapter of Pride At Work — a group for gay and lesbian trade unionists. Founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and one-time intern to gay rights icon Harvey Milk, Jones now works for UNITE HERE. The Labor Press spoke with him during his visit to Portland.
Schrader: Yes to Korea trade treaty, No to union-backed TRADE Act
Oregon Fifth District Congressman Kurt Schrader told labor leaders at an April 26 breakfast that he is "leaning strongly in favor" of the Korea Free Trade Agreement and is unlikely to support the union-backed TRADE Act, a re-write of the nation's trade policy. He still is undecided on trade deals with Colombia and Panama.
Oregon labor leaders to Congress: end the war
A group of 13 Oregon labor leaders sent a tax-day letter to the state's congressional delegation April 18 urging them to take aggressive action towards ending the costly war in Afghanistan.
May 17 ballot measures could put union members to work
Local union groups are supporting Portland Public Schools campaign for voter approval of two property tax measures in the May primary election. Several school board candidates have also gotten union endorsements.
UA Local 290 ratifies new three-year contract
Members of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 290 ratified a new three-year contract with the Oregon chapter of the Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association. The deal provides for increases of $1.75 the first year, $2 the second year, and $2.25 the third year.
Transit Union dispute with TriMet may not settle until spring 2012
A labor dispute between Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757 and TriMet may not get settled until spring of 2012, if not later.
I-5 bridge design gets thumbs up from construction unions
Building trades unions reacted favorably to the April 25 announcement by governors John Kitzhaber of Oregon and Chris Gregoire of Washington that the new Interstate-5 Columbia River Crossing bridge would be built with a deck truss design.
Seattle theaters showcase their union support
Seattle theaters joined in the "We Are One" national day of action April 4 by putting up signs honoring their relationship with unions.

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