Workers Rights

Anti-union campaign causes private school closure

Enrollment drops after Portland French School spends $170,000 opposing efforts to join AFT.

Seattle theaters showcase their union support

Seattle theaters joined in the "We Are One" national day of action April 4 by putting up signs.

Koch brothers have presence in Oregon

Georgia-Pacific has changed since it was bought in 2005 by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch.

At UNITE HERE, 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.

Bob Tiernan will oversee bargaining at Dosha Salon

Newly unionized Dosha Salon and Spa hired former Oregon Republican Party chair Bob Tiernan to oversee bargaining.

Workers fired for Facebook posts; NLRB investigates

Employers are increasingly firing workers for Facebook rants. But that’s against federal labor law.

Pacific Northwest ‘We Are One’ rallies draw thousands

Attacks on public employee collective bargaining drew protests in more than 1,000 cities April 2-8.

GOP mounting attacks on unions nationwide

Statehouse Republicans are pushing bills to eliminate collective bargaining rights, end the prevailing wage and project labor agreements, and get rid of seniority protections.

Wisconsin governor’s union-busting ignites national backlash

The uprising began Feb. 11 when Republican Scott Walker proposed a law to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights.

We are all Wisconsin: Nationwide fightback on the rise

A new crop of Republican governors has declared war on unions, provoking the biggest showdown since Reagan fired air traffic controllers in 1981.

Bill proposes ‘bereavement’ be added to Family Leave Act

A member of Bakers Union Local 114 is behind a bill in the Oregon Legislature.

Fired teacher at Portland French School reinstated

A federal judge ordered French citizen Patricia Raclot be offered her job back.

Bend Area Transit terminates union leader

The top union officer at Bend Area Transit has been fired for what he says are pretextual causes, after months of stepped-up scrutiny from management.

Voters in four states ban union ‘card-check’

Voters in four Republican-dominated states passed measures Nov. 2 to ban the “card check” method of unionizing. But the measures may be struck down in the courts, because they encroach on rights protected by the National Labor Relations Act.

Fired pro-union teacher refuses two years salary to settle case

A French teacher terminated for supporting a union campaign at Portland French School turned down an offer of two years salary if she would drop her legal case and give up her right to return. In the trial that followed, a federal judge heard evidence about the termination and other labor law violations. On Oct. 26, a federal district court judge ordered the school to cease and desist further lawbreaking.

Fired BrucePac workers reinstated

BrucePac, a Willamette Valley cooked meat processor, has offered reinstatement and back pay to three of the 17 union supporters it fired in June 2009.

Portland French School broke law to fight union

The National Labor Relations Board says Portland French School committed multiple violations of U.S. labor law in its fight against a unionizing campaign. Earlier this year, teachers and other employees at the private French language school announced their intention to join American Federation of Teachers.

Jobs Well Done: What Obama could do for workers without Congress

Change to Win and Demos teamed up to consider how government can raise workplace standards.

Fired BrucePac workers reinstated

BrucePac has offered reinstatement and back pay to three of the 17 union supporters it fired in June 2009.

Common, and illegal: Rules banning employees from discussing wages with their co-workers run afoul of federal labor law

Sharing information about wages, benefits, and working conditions is a protected right, even in nonunion workplaces.