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.
Workers Rights
Catching up with Christina
Worker-side labor attorney Christina Stephenson, Oregon’s next labor commissioner, describes her priorities for the job when she takes office next month.
Nine Oregon Starbucks join nationwide strike
The strike involving more than 100 stores was timed for the day Starbucks launched its annual “red cup” holiday promotion.
Starbucks fires Portland union organizer
It’s illegal to retaliate against workers for union activity, but Starbucks has been firing union supporters around the country.
NLRB says Starbucks violated labor law in Eugene
The complaint lists the dates and store locations where violations occurred, and the names of managers who committed them.
AFSCME says Meieran threatened retaliation after non-endorsement
A Multnomah County Commissioner took it very badly when county workers union AFSCME Local 88 backed her opponent.
Contractors stuck with bill for subcontractor wage theft
Washington ordered a quarter million dollars in back pay and penalties for prevailing wage violations by 360 Sheet Metal.
Stephenson: Labor laws mean little without enforcement
Christina Stephenson says heightening BOLI’s wage theft enforcement will be a top priority if she’s elected as labor commissioner.
Judge: Starbucks illegally fired workers for union activity
Starbucks must reinstate seven workers the company fired in Tennessee after a federal judge found the terminations were illegal retaliation.
Nurses sue Providence for back wages
Oregon Nurses Association says a new payroll system at Providence hospitals has an unfortunate feature: It routinely underpays thousands of nurses.
Wage thieves will soon face criminal prosecution in Multnomah County
District Attorney Mike Schmidt is teaming up with Val Hoyle’s labor bureau to go after employers who steal from workers.
The world’s worst countries for workers
The latest International Trade Union Confederation report shows an increase in workers rights violations in recent years.
Starbucks to close 16 stores, citing safety
For Starbucks Workers United, the timing made Portland's 4th and Morrison store closure a clear escalation in union busting.
St. Alphonsus hospital in Ontario accused of egregious antiunion conduct
Union busting alleged at an Oregon hospital would be enough to influence the results of an upcoming representation election, regulators say.
Homeless nonprofit fires whistleblower
Things aren’t ‘all good’ at All Good Northwest, which runs tiny house villages for the homeless in Portland.
The law that poisoned labor: Taft-Hartley turns 75
Taft-Hartley brought 12 years of explosive union growth to a sudden end, and it contributed to what has now been a 75-year decline.
AFL-CIO: Abortion rights are workers rights
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reverse its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision drew immediate opposition from national labor groups.
Local 16 finds prevailing wage violations at Vancouver Fire Station
Washington Labor & Industries is investigating, but similar cases have been ongoing for years without a resolution.
Fred Meyer settles child labor charges
An investigation by the Department of Labor found the company regularly allowing minors to load power-driven box balers at stores in Oregon.
Ontario, Oregon hospital trying to bust nurses union
A labor dispute between the Oregon Nurses Association and an eastern Oregon hospital intensified after management withdrew union recognition.
America’s top wage and hour law enforcer
Jessica Looman, former head of the Minnesota building trades union council, now leads the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.
