The Oregon Labor Dispatch is a weekly email and blog series designed to keep Oregon’s workers informed of the latest news about unions, worker power, and much more. Each week, we bring you a curated selection of news stories, graphics, and information about upcoming events and actions. When Oregon’s Labor Movement is connected, updated and informed we are able to be stronger advocates for all working Oregonians.
If you have a news story, event or action you’d like to see featured in the Oregon Labor Dispatch please email us at communications@oraflcio.org.
Labor 2024: Get Out the Vote!
Volunteer to Get Out the Vote
GOTV Phonebank: Monday November 4, 2024 at 5:30PM | Zoom
GOTV Phonebank: Tuesday November 5, 2024 at 5:30PM | Zoom
Join Oregon Labor at our last phonebanks to get out the vote before the November 5 voting deadline! Sign up to volunteer.
To sign up for a GOTV canvass shift, contact Catie Theisen at Catie@oraflcio.org.
Strikes
IAMAW Boeing Machinists Strike
24 hours everyday | Airport Paint Hanger 4635 NE Cornfoot Rd. & The Boeing Co. 19000 NE Sandy Blvd
On September 13 at midnight, over 30,000 workers represented by IAMAW at Boeing plants in Oregon and Washington walked out on strike after voting down a tentative agreement. For a strike map go to: https://www.oraflcio.org/strikemap.
SUPPORT THE LINE AT BOEING IN OREGON
The strike is still on! Here are some ways you can show solidarity:
Contribute to the IAM Portland Boeing Strike Assistance Fund
Sign up for a picket line shift
Drop off filling and nutritious food at the picket line
Show your support on social media using the Oregon AFL-CIO’s toolkit
Sign the solidarity pledge
Teamsters Local 324 and 206 Bigfoot Beverages Strike
24 hours everyday | Bend, Eugene, Coos Bay, and Winston OR
Bigfoot Beverage workers represented by Teamsters Local 324 and 206 are on strike for a fair contract and secure retirement benefits. Support the strike by joining a picket line. For a strike map go to: https://www.oraflcio.org/strikemap.
Events & Actions
Saturday November 2, 2024 at 6:30PM to 8:30PM | White Owl Social Club in Portland
Following the largest nurses strike in Oregon history, nearly 6,000 Providence nurses, doctors, providers, and healthcare professionals, may be on the cusp of yet another, unprecedented state-wide strike. We're taking this important step in our years-long campaign to better protect our patients and our colleagues from the corporate takeover of healthcare at Oregon’s largest healthcare corporation. Naturally, we decided to have a party! Please join us, our allies, and community members for a strike fundraiser and celebration of our struggle.
Sign a Letter of Support for the faculty union at University of Oregon, UAUO
United Academics is fighting for fair working conditions, competitive salaries, and improved benefits, all of which are crucial to the collective success of the University of Oregon and for the well-being of faculty members. Sign a letter of support with the bargaining team.
Support OSU Graduate Workers Strike Fund and Pledge
The Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE) are ramping up for a potential strike and need your help. Since August 2023, OSU has continually refused to negotiate in good faith. While CGE would prefer to work with OSU to compromise on a contract that benefits both employee and employer, they must be prepared to strike if necessary. Show your support by contributing to their strike fund and signing a pledge to withhold donations to OSU until a fair contract is reached.
Must Read
October 17, 2024 | Northwest Labor Press
“Let’s be crystal clear about our movement’s focus during election season: we work on campaigns to build power for working Oregonians; to ensure the priorities and the values of working people are reflected in our endorsed candidates; and to stand with those who will be champions for the agenda of working people. Period, full stop.”
“Oregon AFL-CIO endorsements are made by our Committee on Political Education, which includes representatives from every union in the federation. The Committee endorses candidates and ballot measures based on how they will impact all working people in the state of Oregon–union and nonunion alike. We carefully evaluate each candidate’s and ballot measure’s past and potential impact on issues that matter most to our communities.“
Boeing Negotiations
October 30, 2024 | Simple Flying
“In a short strike update on October 29, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District Lodge 751 said that it had a productive meeting with Boeing as the two sides continued to negotiate on a new tentative agreement (TA).”
October 28, 2024 | CNBC
“At a rally here this month, machinists union vice president Gary Allen addressed a hall full of striking Boeing workers. “When I'm out on the picket line, I ask everybody, what is the strike about to you?,” he said. Allen didn’t even have a chance to answer his own question before the machinists in the room interrupted. “Pension! Pension! Pension!,” they chanted. Pensions are a major sticking point between Boeing and the union. The machinists want the company to restore the traditional pension plan they lost a decade ago. But Boeing hasn’t budged.”
Fred Meyer/QFC Negotiations
October 28, 2024 | KDRV
“Fred Meyer and QFC workers in Oregon and southwest Washington have ratified a three-year contract after months of negotiations, according to a news release from UFCW Local 555, a labor organization representing the workers. According to the release, the new contract contains wage increases, dental benefits and stronger health care coverage and retirement security. "After months of hard work, Fred Meyer and QFC workers have secured an agreement that ensures higher wages, stronger healthcare, and a stable retirement," Dan Clay, UCFW Local 555's president, said in the news release. "The agreement also improves our process to address contract violations. This contract is going to change thousands of lives and it could only have been accomplished with the work and dedication of everyone involved and the support of our communities.”
October 28, 2024 | KGW
“Months after thousands of Portland-area Fred Meyer employees went on strike, their union announced Monday that a new contract has been reached. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, the largest private sector union in Oregon, said members voted "overwhelmingly" to ratify a new three-year contract on Saturday for Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Oregon and Southwest Washington.”
Oregon Labor
October 29, 2024 | Daily Emerald
“The presidential election and workers’ unions were other topics discussed. Both candidates emphasized their support for unions. Fragala said that she had attended a previous UO Student Workers rally in support of campus union labor groups.“
October 29, 2024 | KPIC
“Classified staff at Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) are pushing for a wage increase as they prepare to go on strike for what they call “unlivable wages.” Classified workers consist of support staff like administrative assistants, student success center representatives, financial advisers, facilities, maintenance, and custodial, according to SWOCC's Union President Shannon Burruss.”
October 25, 2024 | KMTR
“An overwhelming number Benton County workers, represented by theOregon AFSCME, have voted in favor to strike as of Thursday, October 24, 2024. The decision comes after months of negotiations aimed at better wages and safety measures for county workers. According to the Oregon AFSCME, they've been at the bargaining table for months, since February, with the county.”
October 25, 2024 | Oregon Capital Chronicle
“Hundreds of Oregon Department of Human Services caregivers who work in state-run group homes for people with disabilities are looking for relief from heavy workloads and mandatory extra shifts that can give them 16-hour workdays. Earlier this month, the union for caregivers in the agency’s Stabilization and Crisis Unit group homes reached a temporary 90-day agreement with the Oregon Department of Human Services that guarantees staffers will receive extra incentive pay when they work extra shifts.”
October 24, 2024 | The Lund Report
“Doctors and nurses at Providence facilities in Portland have authorized a strike amid ongoing contract negotiations. The walkout would include physicians, physician associates, nurse midwives and clinic nurses at Providence St. Vincent and six Providence Women’s Clinics in the Portland metro area.”
October 24, 2024 | Portland Tribune
“AFSCME Local 189 has the privilege of representing nearly 1,100 employees at the city of Portland, people who show up every day to make the city work. We keep the water running, process bill payments, staff emergency response sites, answer the phones, handle police records and fingerprints, help you fill out housing applications, inspect buildings and so much more.”
October 24, 2024 | KMTR
“The Bigfoot Beverages strike continues as a resolution remains nowhere in sight. "They offered that deal knowing we can't accept it because of the rules of how our pension works,” said Edwin Powell, a Bigfoot delivery driver and member of the bargaining team. “We can't have people picking and choosing because it dilutes the union, and they know by asking that; it's supposed to cause disruption amongst us.”
October 23, 2024 | KOIN
“As the City of Portland prepares for a major government upheaval, officials say they are still negotiating contracts for public employees in three labor unions. Portland Labor Relations gave its latest bargaining update on Monday. According to the office, city leaders are in the process of establishing contracts for around 2,000 employees involved in three unions: the City of Portland Professional Workers, the District Council of Trade Unions and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.”
Washington Labor
October 28, 2024 | The Stand
“Nearly 150 educators organized with Washington Education Association (WEA) gathered at their union’s statewide headquarters on Saturday to hear speeches by pro-public-education, pro-labor candidates and then fan out to talk with voters. Hundreds more gathered in similar events statewide on the same morning.”
October 25, 2024 | The Stand
“Healthcare workers at St. Joseph Medical Center, members of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, gathered on Wednesday outside the hospital for an informational picket, calling for a fair contract after more than a year at the bargaining table.“
Politics
October 29, 2024 | CBS News
“President Joe Biden announced a $3 billion investment to upgrade ports across the U.S. during a Tuesday stop at the Port of Baltimore. The investment from his Inflation Reduction Act includes $147 million in grants for the Port of Baltimore to decarbonize its cargo handling operations, the White House said in a statement.”
October 28, 2024 | Black Star News
“AFT President Randi Weingarten and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus issued the following statement after speakers at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally insulted Puerto Rico and attacked Latinos. The AFT’s affiliate Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico (AMPR) represents more than 40,000 educators on the island. “The Trump campaign’s racist hate was on full, disgraceful display tonight. Dark, narcissistic smears and rank fearmongering have no place in America—and should be disqualifying for any candidate for office. “There is a pattern and a practice of Trump and his allies attacking people and cities of color: The disparagement of Puerto Rico and Latinos comes after similar insults and lies leveled at Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and on Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. “Let’s show each other, and the world, that divisive, dehumanizing, discriminatory and dangerous rage is not who Americans are—and cast our votes accordingly.”
October 28, 2024 | NPR
“Many labor unions have blanketed swing states with record numbers of volunteer and paid canvassers. The persuasion phase has nearly ended. Now it's all about getting out the vote.”
October 27, 2024 | The Guardian
“As the US election nears, union members are knocking on millions of doors in swing states across America in a last-ditch attempt to swing the too-close-to-call election for Kamala Harris. Joe Biden billed himself as the most pro-union president ever. Now his successor is hoping that the all-out support of organized labor can push her bid over the line."
October 25, 2024 | People’s World
“Both News Guild President Jon Schleuss and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler jumped on Vance. “JD Vance is a piece of work,” Shuler opened her tweet. “Post-Gazette workers have been on strike for two years, battling relentless union-busting. Today he crossed the picket line with his op-ed, throwing The PUPnews and CWA-union members under the bus.” The News Guild is a CWA sector. “JD Vance has crossed a very obvious picket line by striking Americans,” Schleuss said. “And JD Vance is a scab just like anybody else who crosses a picket line."
Organizing
October 29, 2024 | Center for American Progress
“Unions are at the forefront of how young workers think about their careers and their ability to support themselves with decent jobs. For the past several years, support for unions has reached an all-time high among American workers. More workers are voting in union elections, and nearly half a million workers went on strike in 2023 to push for better wages, including from automakers, studios, hospitals, and other employers. Throughout this time, young workers—members of Gen Z and younger millennials—have shown the highest support for unions out of every generation, consistently rating union approval higher than any other age group and leading in major organizing campaigns. New data from Gallup shows that more than three-quarters of young Americans approve of unions."
October 29, 2024 | Inside Higher Ed
“The list of ways next week’s presidential election could affect higher education is long, with Trump and Harris administrations likely to differ significantly on issues such as student loans, accreditation, diversity and Title IX, to name just a few. One less visible area that could also be reshaped is around labor policy, with a second administration for former president Donald Trump likely to take a very different approach regarding the National Labor Relations Board than the relative continuity that would probably follow if President Biden passes the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris. The NLRB released data Monday that underscored one way that could manifest itself. The federal agency said that it has certified 54 bargaining units for more than 50,000 student employees since 2022, in the wake of its 2021 withdrawal of a rule proposed by the Trump administration that would have made it much harder for graduate students on private college campuses to form unions."
October 28, 2024 | Michigan Advance
“Union activity has seen a major increase in the last several years, most particularly in the Midwest. According to a press release from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, 3,286 union election petitions were received by the agency, a 27% jump over FY 2023, when the NLRB received 2,593 petitions. More importantly, it was more than double the 1,638 petitions received since FY 2021. Digging deeper into the data, it appears states in the Midwest saw an even increase in union petitions — a 138% hike — the highest percent increase of any region in the country. Breaking it down even further, Michigan saw a 160% increase in that time period, rising from 57 petitions in 2021 to 148 this year."
Collective Bargaining
October 24, 2024 | KTLA
“The CVS workers’ strike, which affected about 7,000 workers across California, is over, and a tentative agreement between the union and the pharmacy chain has been reached. The agreement, announced by the United Food & Commercial Workers Locals 5, 135, 324, 648, 770, 1167, 1428 and 1442, was recommended by the union on Wednesday. “We are proud to announce a tentative agreement with CVS that we unanimously recommend to our co-workers,” the union said in a statement. “For the last five months, we have been fighting hard for a fair contract – from a strike to actions, delegations, rallies, petitions, and conversations with our co-workers and customers; we have shown the strength that comes when workers stand together for a better life."
Clean Energy Jobs
October 29, 2024 | Reuters
“The United Steelworkers union is counting on clean energy projects to spur membership growth, offsetting losses at oil refining and petrochemical plants, a union official said, even if Donald Trump wins the presidential election on Nov. 5. The USW, which represents about 30,000 crude oil refinery and petrochemical chemical plant workers in North America, said major growth may be coming as projects backed by the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act are built and provisions supporting union-jobs deployed. "We anticipate it being a time of growth," said Larry Burchfield, director of USW District 13, which includes four U.S. oil rich states, at a regional meeting in Louisiana last Friday. He said there is a potential for 17,000 new union jobs through projects backed by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Republican candidate Trump has vowed to gut the Biden administration's signature climate law that provides tax breaks for clean energy projects, but Burchfield said he is confident that will not happen as it was backed by both Democrats and Republicans. Any changes would need Congressional approval."
Correction
Last week we shared a story from Daily Tidings that incorrectly reported on a Tentative Agreement between postal workers and the U.S. Postal Service. A TA was reached with NALC, not APWU as stated in Daily Tidings. The article has since been corrected. The Oregon AFL-CIO regrets this error.
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