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.
Worker safety
If there’s one workplace right that stands above the rest, it’s the right to go home safely at the end of the day. In this section, we report on occupational safety and health, workplace toxins, ergonomics, and the agencies that are supposed to protect worker safety.
Workers killed on the job
An estimated 5,283 U.S. workers died of injuries on the job in 2023, according to the latest report by the BLS, released Dec. 19.
‘Beyond failure’ – Washington teen loses legs at school-based work program
Thousands of students enroll in work-for-credit programs, but a 16-year-old’s case shows life-altering consequences of risky jobs and murky oversight.
Florida bans local rules to protect workers from heat
Texas passed similar legislation in 2023, banning local rules that would require water breaks for construction workers.
When temperatures rise, stay safe at work
State-level workplace heat rules can save lives, but only if workers and employers know about them.
Union ironworker dies after workplace accident at Benson High School
Samantha “Sam” Deschenes was 33, and leaves behind a nine-year-old son. Union members are contributing to help her family.
Dirty drinking water? Portland shipyard workers say no thanks
Complaints started coming in that at some of the stations, the water was coming out discolored with debris.
Workers Memorial: a solemn reminder
Every year, the national AFL-CIO produces a report on the state of worker safety and health in America, titled Death on the Job.
The 10 most dangerous jobs
Vehicle accidents and falls caused more than half of on-the-job deaths in 2022. Here are the jobs with the highest rates of fatal injuries.
Killed on the job in 2023
Here are the names of the 66 Oregon and Southwest Washington workers who died on the job or from injuries sustained while working last year.
Increasingly, letter carriers face armed robbery
To counter a 200% increase in robberies of letter carriers in the last six years, lawmakers introduced a new bill at their union's request.
Biden’s bad dog: a threat to workplace safety
Virginia Foxx — a ferociously anti-union Republican Congresswoman — is investigating workplace safety at the White House.
Vancouver firm fined in grisly accident is repeat child labor offender
After a 16-year-old lost both legs in a workplace accident, an investigation found Rotschy has committed dozens of child labor law violations.
City of Portland fined for wrecking bar accident
The Aug. 11 workplace accident sent a metal bar through a City of Portland maintenance worker’s stomach.
How to not get carpal tunnel
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries ‘Ideas Bank’ has ergonomics hacks for every industry.
Local 483 raising funds for gravely injured city worker
A City of Portland maintenance worker was impaled by a metal bar at work. His union has launched a fundraiser to support him as he recovers.
Remembering Joe Killian
Because of toxins in burning buildings, cancer deaths for firefighters are considered to be deaths in the line of duty.
Assaulted by children, child welfare workers call for director’s removal
Washington's child welfare workers are at high risk for physical assault and burnout, and the program’s leader is to blame, says WFSE.
Washington updates heat protections for outdoor workers
It’s going to keep getting hotter. And workers need to know how to stay safe in heat.
Murder of health aide shows fears were valid
Cascadia Behavioral Health employee Haley Rogers, a member of AFSCME Local 1790-4, was stabbed to death July 16 by one of her patients.
Rule to protect Washington workers from wildfire smoke moves forward
Washington state’s workplace safety agency has proposed a new rule to protect outdoor workers from wildfire smoke.
