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.
Take Action
LiUNA LOCAL 483 STRIKE: Join LiUNA Local 483 members who work at the City of Portland for a strike kickoff tonight in North Portland:
Where: 5001 N Columbia Blvd Portland, OR 97203
When: Today, February 1 from 10 PM-12 AM
PETITION: Help build a brighter future for workers and the community at Portland State University. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/psu-has-a-bright-future
Strikes
Jan. 24, 2023 | Bloomberg Law
“The ongoing labor strife on college campuses is part of a broader trend of increased strike action across the US economy. Union work stoppages hit a 17-year high in 2023, according to Bloomberg Law’s database of work stoppages.”
Oregon Politics
Jan. 30, 2023 | Oregon Capital Chronicle
“Renters and tenant advocates on Monday urged Oregon lawmakers to revive some pandemic eviction protections, while critics warned that restoring those regulations would make landlords raise rent or stop leasing altogether. “
Organizing
Jan. 31, 2023 | Reuters
“Amazon.com Inc illegally threatened to withhold raises and benefits from workers at two New York City warehouses if they voted to unionize, a judge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled.”
Jan. 18. 2023 | Center for American Progress
“In recent years, a surge in worker organizing across the country has coincided with unions achieving levels of popular support not reached in decades. A growing number of businesses are now recognizing that their workers want unions and are opting out of fighting workers in intense union election campaigns. At the same time, since the Biden administration assumed office in January 2021, voluntary recognition—a process in which a company recognizes a union rather than forcing an election to prove the union has the support of a majority of its workers—has become increasingly common in several industries.”
Union Busting & Labor Law
Jan. 31, 2023 | The Guardian
“US employers spend an estimated $340m annually on hiring union avoidance consultants to oppose unionization efforts and employers are charged with violating federal labor law in 41.5% of all union elections, according to a 2019 analysis by the Economic Policy Institute.”
Jan. 25, 2023 | Economic Policy Institute
“When employers misclassify workers as “independent contractors” instead of as “employees,” they are exposing those workers to economic costs and depriving them of fundamental labor rights.”
Infrastructure
Jan. 30. 2023 | Politico
“Greg Regan, president of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, praised the administration’s insistence that big-ticket projects like the Gateway Tunnel and Baltimore rail tunnels be constructed with collective bargaining agreements between building trade unions and contractors. “If you’re looking at what the administration’s done, there’s a clear focus on getting money out the door but getting money out the door in the right way,” said Regan.”
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