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.
Upcoming Events
SPRING LABOR RALLY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Thursday, April 6, 2023 - 1:00pm-2:00pm
EMU Amphitheater at the University of Oregon in Eugene
Rally with the University of Oregon Student Workers Union and many more on April 6 in Eugene!
RALLY WITH HEALTHCARE WORKERS FOR SAFE STAFFING AT SACRED HEART RIVERBEND
Monday, April 10, 202 3- 3:00pm-6:00pm
3333 Riverbend Drive in Springfield Healthcare Workers are standing up to PeaceHealth Executives and fighting for Safe Staffing levels! Stand in solidarity with them in this fight.
SAFE STAFFING SAVES LIVES: RALLY WITH PROVIDENCE NURSES
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 - 4:30pm-6:30pm
4805 NE Glisan Street in Portland
WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY: On April 28 unions across the country will gather to observe Workers Memorial Day, and honor each and every worker who lost their lives as the result of workplace injury and illness in 2022. This year, the Oregon AFL-CIO will honor our fallen workers at two events in Portland and Salem. Click here to learn more about these events and to RSVP.
2023 OREGON LABOR ORGANIZING SUMMIT: We’re excited to announce that the 2023 Oregon Labor Organizing Summit will be held on Wednesday, May 24 at IBEW Local 48 in Portland! This one-of-a-kind event will feature National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler as our keynote speaker! We’re planning engaging panel discussions, inspiring workshops, and ways for Oregon’s unions to come together and share resources about union organizing. Please note this event is only for union members, leaders, and staff of unions. Click here to register for this event.
Find more upcoming events on the Oregon AFL-CIO Solidarity Calendar. Do you have an event you’d like us to share? Send an email to communications@oraflcio.org and we’ll make it happen!
Take Action
PASS THE RICHARD L. TRUMKA PRO ACT: If we want to build up worker power, our outdated labor laws must keep up with the times. Support our workers. Take 30 seconds to add your name in support of the PRO Act. Click here to add your name.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR ACTORS AND STAGE MANAGERS ON TOUR: The actors and stage managers on the road who bring Broadway to communities across North America are united in seeking fair pay, appropriate housing and per diem, and sufficient coverage to ensure the show can go on when individuals cannot. Click here to add your name.
Fighting “Right to Work”
March 24, 2023 | FiveThirtyEight
“On Friday, Michigan repealed an 11-year-old law that weakened unions’ power in the workplace. Known as a “right-to-work” law, this type of legislation has been around since at least 1943, and Michigan is now one of only a handful of states to ever repeal it.”
March 28, 2023 | USA Today
“In a win for unions, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed Democratic legislation repealing the state's right-to-work law.The move makes Michigan the first state in decades to repeal the union-restriction law. Whitmer also signed legislation restoring a prevailing wage law that the state’s Republican lawmakers repealed in 2018.”
Civil Rights
April 4, 2023 | AFSCME
This week, AFSCME released the first episode of the I AM Story podcast, a new series covering the history and legacy of the Memphis Sanitation Strike. Through interviews with some of the workers who were there and civil rights leaders of today, the five-episode series will examine the origins of the strike and events leading up to the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated 55 years ago while in Memphis supporting the strikers.
Union Busting
April 1, 2023 | CNBC
“Starbucks fired Alexis Rizzo, the employee responsible for igniting the Starbucks Workers United union campaign, just days after the company’s former CEO Howard Schultz testified on Capitol Hill about the coffee chain’s alleged union-busting.”
March 31, 2023 | The New York Times
“A federal appeals court on Friday affirmed a finding that Tesla illegally fired an employee involved in union organizing, and that the company’s chief executive, Elon Musk, had illegally threatened workers’ stock options if they chose to unionize.”
March 28, 2023 | The Washington Post
“Apple fired five union organizers in Kansas City, Mo., in retaliation for union activity, the Communications Workers of America alleged in charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday.”
March 27, 2023 | CBS
“Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay $240,000 to former employees as part of a settlement stemming from a complaint that the company violated federal law by closing a restaurant where workers wanted to unionize.”
Unions & Democracy
March 31, 2023 | The Washington Post
““Unions are the largest civil society organizations in any country, they are membership-based, sustainable, and are themselves examples of democratic practice,” said Shawna Bader-Blau, the executive director of the Solidarity Center, a nonprofit aligned with the AFL-CIO, the biggest grouping of American unions. “Weak or strong, they have elections.” Their capacity to mobilize, act collectively, strike and force political change far outweighs whatever smaller nongovernmental organizations can muster, she said.”
Organizing
April 3, 2023 | Law360
“Workers at the REI store in Lincoln Park, Chicago, have taken steps to unionize, filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board indicating their desire to affiliate with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. If the organizing drive succeeds, the Chicago REI will be the fourth location of the retailer — which sells clothing and equipment used for outdoor activities — to unionize. “
Union-Made Passover & Easter
Graphics to Share