By Don McIntosh, Editor, NW Labor Press If you step aside from the recent drama, and adjust your focus away from the off-and-on quarreling, that fact is that the first year of Portland’s new city council was a breakthrough for organized labor. From day one a strong majority of Portland City Council — arguably even all 12 members — showed pro-union convictions in large and small ways. They passed ordinances aimed at defending working people. And they regularly took and acted on feedback from organized labor — much more so than the previous city councils that were elected citywide, according to local labor leaders who pay close attention to city hall.  Portland in recent years has faced significant problems, from an unaffordable cost of living to a surge in homelessness, addiction, and untreated mental illness, from over-long 911 wait times to under-maintained roads and infrastructure.  In the face of all that, voters took a gamble by approving a charter change in 2022 that replaced the old commission form of government with a new 12-member city council composed of three city councilors from each of four districts, plus a mayor who oversees a city administrator. As nearly 100 candidates lined up to run for city council, organized labor saw an opportunity. Led by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council, unions stepped up their involvement and helped elect viable pro-labor candidates. In the end 12 out of the 12 winners had at least one union endorsement. The difference in tone alone has been dramatic, says Rob Martineau, president of AFSCME Local 189, the largest union of city employees. “When we had five commissioners, it was often challenging to have even a quarterly check in … outside of a crisis. Now I can have a five to 15 minute conversation with almost any of them on any given day,” Martineau said. The new tone started on Day 1. Facing difficulty negotiating an acceptable contract, Local 189 was gearing up for a strike when the new city council took office in January 2025, so members held “practice pickets” the months before. In what the union interpreted as an act of provocation, the outgoing City Council gave the green light to the city attorney’s office to file charges with the Oregon Employment Relations Board, saying the pickets violated a union contract provision barring picketing while the contract was still in force. The day the new council took office, District 4 Councilor Mitch Green introduced a resolution to withdraw that charge, and it passed 12-0. Lean budget, few layoffs A spirit of cooperation continued into the spring. Owing to wobbly revenue forecasts and increased costs for health care, the city faced a budget shortfall amounting to tens of millions of dollars. After the mayor’s initial proposal leaned heavily on staff reductions to balance the budget, city unions formed an ad hoc budget coalition to promote solutions that would limit the need for layoffs. City councilors were receptive. In fact, the council’s labor and workforce committee, headed by District 1 Councilor Loretta Smith, invited city union leaders to present their recommendations.  “It was invited testimony. That was a respect issue that we deeply appreciated,” said Laurie Wimmer, executive secretary-treasurer of the Northwest Oregon Labor Council. In the end, through a combination of strategies — including tapping some reserves, creative revenue sharing using restricted funds, bringing some services in-house, and using the previous year’s ending fund balance — the council’s adopted budget resulted in as few as 3 job losses.  Labor didn’t always get what it asked for. In May, local labor leaders testified in favor of a request by PGE to build a second power line in an existing easement through Forest Park. City Council members were constrained by Oregon’s land use law and voted 12-0 to reject the permit based on technicalities. If there’s a big exception to Portland city councilors’ love of labor it’s the city’s police union, Portland Police Association. District 3 councilor Angelita Morillo and several others have been publicly hostile to the union, and in a late-breaking ripple of the Defund the Police movement of 2020, seven of the 12 city council members voted in May to transfer $2 million from the Portland police budget to the parks budget: Morillo, plus Sameer Kanal, Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy, Mitch Green, Tiffany Koyama Lane, and Steve Novick.  In July, to address a chronic shortfall of dedicated funding that threatened jobs and service in Portland Parks and Recreation, city council voted 12-0 to refer an increase in the operating levy that funds the bureau to the November ballot. That effort was led by District 2 Councilor (and council president) Elana Pirtle-Guiney and District 3 Councilor Steve Novick. City councilors also campaigned for the levy’s passage, with the notable exception of District 2 councilor Dan Ryan, who came out publicly against the levy after having voted for it. Portlanders approved it anyway, with 56% voting in favor. In November, Portland renters notched a win when City Council voted 6-2 in favor of an ordinance put forward by Councilor Morillo to ban algorithmic price fixing by landlords. The ordinance has to do with a Texas software firm called RealPage, which created an online platform in which landlords share what they charge for rent, and then an algorithm suggests they raise the rent to what other nearby landlords are charging. In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission filed suit saying RealPage was enabling landlords to illegally collude to raise rents; the company settled in November 2025, agreeing on some curbs to the practice. Councilors Olivia Clark and Dan Ryan voted no, and Steve Novick and Eric Zimmerman were absent. In October, city council was considering a proposal by Councilor Loretta Smith to fund a study to defend a city program that helps women and minority contractors get work on city construction projects. Labor leaders showed up testify, asking that the study also look at opportunities for women and minority workers. Councilors Mitch Green and Dan Ryan offered amendments responding to their input, which passed unanimously. “That’s all any organization could ever hope for when they have business before any legislative body,” Wimmer said, “that they will be listened to, their concerns taken seriously, and to the extent they’re able, policy changes will result.”  High point of tension The closest local labor came to conflict with city council was a dispute with AFSCME Local 189 over the fate of workers in the city’s legacy Independent Police Review (IPR) system. After Portland voters approved a new system of police accountability, the 11 workers at IPR joined Local 189 and tried to negotiate opportunities for them to continue in their jobs in the new program. City negotiators balked at that, and on Nov. 8, IPR workers went on strike. Their office is at city hall, so their picket meant city councilors might be crossing a union picket line. To avoid that, Council president Elana Pirtle-Guiney used her discretion to cancel a city council hearing that was scheduled that day. In the end, the City relented and gave IPR workers at least some job protections — guaranteeing them interviews before outside candidates would be considered, and/or offering them equivalent positions elsewhere in the city. City Council ratified the agreement Dec. 18, with only District 2 Councilor Sameer Kanal voting against it. Over the course of the year, individual council members sometimes went to bat on issues that mattered to individual unions. One example is the city’s fair wage policy, a 1998 ordinance that set standards for employees working for city contractors like janitorial firms. The outgoing city council repealed it in 2024 as part of an effort to reduce red tape. But at the request of SEIU Local 49 — which represents city janitors and security officers — District 1 Councilor Jamie Dunphy sponsored an ordinance to bring it back, which passed unanimously.  Dunphy is also the most focused of any councilor on the health of Portland’s live entertainment industry. Members of IATSE Local 28 and other entertainment unions are worried about the fate of the city-owned Keller Auditorium, which is in need of seismic and other repairs. If there’s no other suitable venue and the Keller closes for years of repairs, that could result in hundreds of theater job losses and long-term loss of the local workers who make traveling Broadway shows possible in Portland. Dunphy made sure Local 28 leader Rose Etta Venetucci was appointed to the advisory group that’s weighing options like an equivalent venue at Portland State University. Councilor Pirtle-Guiney was also helpful behind the scenes, making sure local union officers knew whenever something that mattered to them was going to be considered by city council. Pirtle-Guiney also intervened to influence a mayoral appointment. A little-known three-member city board considers disciplinary appeals for city employees who don’t have union protection. It’s supposed to have someone from a labor background, someone from management, and a neutral member representing the general public. For the neutral spot, Mayor Keith Wilson was looking to appoint someone who had an HR background; Guiney said she’d oppose that, and he reconsidered. There’s likely more to come in year two. Councilor Steve Novick is working on an ordinance to give greater rights to rideshare workers. Councilor Smith is working on a proposal to combat wage theft. Councilor Olivia Clark is developing plans for alternative revenue so the Portland Bureau of Transportation can address its road maintenance backlog. And Councilors Morillo and Eric Zimmerman have been looking at simplifying the city’s design review process to speed up construction of affordable housing.   The Labor Press invited all 12 city council members to share details of their record on issues that mattered to organized labor. Five took us up on the invitation: Jamie Dunphy, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Tiffany Koyama Lane, Olivia Clark, and Candace Avalos.

Among Oregon’s seven higher education institutions, only one holds court in the state’s largest city: the financially troubled Portland State University. PSU’s mission differs from those of its six peers, and so does its student body. Nearly half of PSU students transfer from community colleges. Fully 40 percent are the first in their families to attend college. Many are working adults or caregivers juggling jobs and classes. The university educates the people who power Oregon’s workforce: teachers, counselors, social workers, engineers, planners, and public administrators. When PSU struggles, so does the pipeline of skilled, community-rooted workers who keep the state running. Investing in PSU means investing in an opportunity for Oregon’s first-generation and diverse students. The university is on track to become a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution, with nearly a quarter of new undergraduates identifying as Latino or Latina. It already serves the most diverse student body in the state—students whose success strengthens families, communities, and Oregon’s economy. Lawmakers have noticed PSU’s unique role. In 2021, the Legislature recognized it as Oregon’s only public university located in a major urban area. Earlier this year, House Bill 2556 went further by designating PSU as Oregon’s Urban Research University. The designation is important, but without funding to match, it’s just a title. Elsewhere in Oregon, at the four smallest schools and at the two flagships, Oregon State University and the University of Oregon, funding also lags.  The large flagships, however, are able to attract thousands of out-of-state students and hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants. Those revenues help cushion them from declining state support. PSU cannot do this, however. Its funding depends largely on in-state tuition and the Public University Support Fund, distributed through a formula that awards headcount rather than mission. That leaves little flexibility to invest in what matters most: faculty stability, student success programs, and community-based learning that connects education to work and civic life. Why should policymakers care?  Each year, PSU contributes $1.8 billion to Oregon’s economy, supports more than 11,000 jobs, and generates $714 million in labor income, according to a 2024 study by the Northwest Economic Research Center. In contrast to the flagships, more than 80 percent of PSU graduates remain in Oregon, working in the public and private sectors that sustain local communities. Few universities have such a direct and lasting impact on the state’s workforce. National research supports this. Studies show that regional public universities like PSU deliver the strongest return on investment for working families and local economies. Yet Oregon’s funding model rewards research dollars and residential capacity—criteria that privilege flagship universities and penalize access-driven campuses like PSU. If Oregon wants a higher education system that truly serves working people, it needs to fund universities in line with their missions. For PSU, that means recognizing it as the state’s leading regional-serving institution, with enhanced per-student funding and dedicated workforce partnership grants in education, healthcare, sustainability, and public service. Flagship universities will continue to pursue out-of-state tuition and research dollars. That is their role. PSU’s role is different: to educate the people who stay, work, and build this state. Oregon needs both kinds of universities, but it needs to fund them fairly. Supporting Portland State is not charity. It is an investment in Oregon’s future workforce. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ramin Farahmandpur is a professor of education at Portland State and former vice president for legislative action for the PSU local of the American Association of University Professors.

Hello Union Family! For those of you who purchased tickets and are joining us on January 11 for the Union Blazer Night, don't forget to wear your union swag! Let's show our union power while we enjoy a great game! Thanks, Laurie Wimmer Executive Secretary-Treasurer, NW Oregon Labor Council Email: est@nwolc.org Cell Phone: 503-804-5362

UPCOMING EVENTS 26 Jan COPE Board Meeting Mon Jan 26 2026 (1:30PM - 5:30PM) at IBEW Training Center 26 Jan Council Meeting Mon Jan 26 2026 (6:00PM - 7:30PM) at IBEW Meeting Hall 9 Feb COPE Board Meeting Mon Feb 09 2026 (1:30PM - 5:30PM) at NW Oregon Labor Council Office 23 Feb COPE Board Meeting Mon Feb 23 2026 (1:30PM - 5:30PM) at IBEW Training Center 23 Feb Council Meeting Mon Feb 23 2026 (6:00PM - 7:30PM) at IBEW Meeting Hall 9 Mar Council Meeting Mon Mar 09 2026 (6:00PM - 7:30PM) at IBEW Meeting Hall 9 Mar COPE Board Meeting Mon Mar 09 2026 (1:30PM - 5:30PM) at IBEW Training Center 13 Apr Executive Board Meeting Mon Apr 13 2026 (1:30PM - 5:30PM) at IBEW Training Center 27 Apr COPE Board Meeting Mon Apr 27 2026 (1:30PM - 5:30PM) at IBEW Training Center 27 Apr Council Meeting Mon Apr 27 2026 (6:00PM - 7:30PM) at IBEW Meeting Hall 11 May COPE Board Meeting Mon May 11 2026 (1:30PM - 5:30PM) at NW Oregon Labor Council Office 22 Jun Council Meeting Mon Jun 22 2026 (6:00PM - 7:30PM) at IBEW Meeting Hall

SEARCH Search ARTICLES EVENTS

Explainer: Report on Union Members Why we're in a surge of organizing Learn more PSU Deserves Funding that works for Oregon's Workers Portland's Pro-Labor City Council Trump Destroys Workers Rights MORE NOLC NEWS URGENT ACTION: YOUR PSU UNION SIBLINGS NEED YOUR HELP Aug 28, 2025 COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE KAISER RALLY AND BLOOD DRIVE! Jul 23, 2025 Trump Destroys Workers Rights Feb 24, 2025 AFL-CIO Launches the Department of People Who Work for a Living Feb 5, 2025 ⯈ More News Stories UPCOMING EVENTS ⯈ More Events 26 Jan COPE Board Meeting Mon Jan 26 2026 26 Jan Council Meeting Mon Jan 26 2026 9 Feb COPE Board Meeting Mon Feb 09 2026 23 Feb COPE Board Meeting Mon Feb 23 2026 AFL-CIO NEWSFEED ⯈ More News Stories OTHER NEWS 📰 Lawmakers float bills to build more homes, limit rent increases The Oregonian, 12/16/2024 🎙️ A political outsider faces a daunting task: Fix Portland's homelessness crisis OPB, 12/16/2024 📰 Tech giants and their billionaire owners are playing Oregonians for fools Oregon Capital Chronicle, 12/12/2024 📰 Albertsons sues Kroger after Oregon, Washington judges block $24.6 billion merger Portland Tribune, 12/11/2024 📰 City of Portland could be inching toward labor disputes NW Labor Press, 12/5/2024 📰 SEIU Local 503 rejoins the Oregon AFL-CIO NW Labor Press, 12/5/2024 📰 Trump taps Chavez-DeRemer for labor secretary NW Labor Press, 12/5/2024 ⯈ More News Stories ACTION CENTER URGENT ACTION: YOUR PSU UNION SIBLINGS NEED YOUR HELP Portland State University faculty need the help of our Union Family today ! The university’s Board of Trustees has been dangerously...