CWA workers at Qwest Communications ready to strike in 13 states
About 22,000 Qwest Communications workers across 13 states — including Oregon and Washington — were ready to go on strike as of press time, though no strike date had been set. Despite the fact that CWA members went on strike in 1998 to get an eight-hour-a-week limit on mandatory overtime, Qwest, has proposed a 16-hour-a-week limit.

AFL-CIO gives mixed review to Oregon Legislature
Oregon’s Legislature has just one regular session every two years, and this time it suffered from a kind of gridlock, with Democrats in control of the Oregon Senate and Republicans running the Oregon House of Representatives.
Oregon AFL-CIO considers restructuring in wake of breakup
Faced with a 39 percent budget cut due to last month’s disaffiliation by the Service Employees International Union and the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Oregon AFL-CIO General Board met Aug. 5 to find ways to restructure the labor federation.
Union charges Legacy misplaced priorities
About 400 workers at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in North Portland may go on strike if management doesn’t soon reach agreement with their union. Certified nurse assistants, housekeepers, nutritionists and emergency room technicians at Legacy Emanuel belong to Service Employees (SEIU) Local 49. Their contract with Legacy Health Systems expired July 30 without further extension, and on Aug. 5 management escalated the conflict by halting union dues collection.
CWA woos workers at new Cingular call center
For a limited time, about 435 workers at a Cingular Wireless call center in Portland have what most working people lack — a no-fuss way to unionize.
UNITE-HERE #9 re-elects Richardson to leadership post
Jeff Richardson was re-elected by acclamation to a third term as financial secretary-treasurer of Portland-based UNITE-HERE Local 9. The union represents approximately 1,000 hotel employees and restaurant employees in Oregon.