This week, Oregon’s labor movement observed an important date in workplace safety: Workers’ Memorial Day. NOLC made the observance part of its monthly delegate meeting on April 27, where we remembered the 37 workers who died on the job in 2025. We also teamed up with the Oregon Labor Federation in a moving ceremony on the waterfront in Portland, to acknowledge the Labor Movement’s work to establish the Occupational Safety and Health Act, pushed for by unionists nationwide more than 50 years ago. Though we celebrate our victory in establishing OSHA in 1971, we know that our hard-won workplace protections are under constant threat. This is an urgent moment to hold the line against attacks on worker health, even as we celebrate the drop in workplace deaths here in Oregon. Imagine a worker starting the day, coffee in hand, lunch packed, a quick goodbye to the family, never knowing that it will be the last time they walk out the door. For that family, whose lives are forever changed, for every colleague who carries the weight of loss, and for every worker who said their last goodbye, we pledge to honor your experience by redoubling our efforts to protect past gains and forge ahead to make our workplaces safer. Because here are the facts: · Every day in the US, we lose 15 workers to preventable accidents. · And countless more suffer permanent injuries that change their lives forever. · Black, Latino, and immigrant workers are killed on the job at higher rates than others, especially in violence, disease, heat, and chemical exposure incidents. Meanwhile, accelerated deregulatory attacks, such as the removal of OSHA coverage, weakening mineworker silica protections, and destroying the regulatory process altogether, threaten to roll back decades of progress. In these times, we call all unionists to action. We must: 1. Stop the erosion of important past wins. 2. We must demand stronger safety standards, backed by science and enforced without compromise. 3. We must ensure that no one is retaliated against for spotlighting hazards. 4. And we must invest in prevention so that someday, this ceremony reports zero deaths and you all will have no flags to raise in our fallen siblings’ memory. Ours is a call for good jobs, safe jobs, and the protection of our rights. Let us mourn for the dead and fight every day for the living. Here is the text of a moving speech by Portland Firefighters President, Isaac McLennan: Brothers, sisters, and siblings of labor, thank you for the opportunity to stand with you today. We gather here on Workers Memorial Day not just to remember—but to bear witness. To say their names in our hearts. To honor lives that were built on hard work, dignity, and the belief that every worker deserves to come home at the end of the day. This day is rooted in both grief and purpose. Grief for the lives lost. Purpose in the fight that continues. Because every name we remember today represents more than a statistic. They were someone’s partner, parent, friend, or coworker. They were people who showed up, did the job, and trusted that their safety mattered. And too often, that trust was broken. As a firefighter, I’ve seen what happens when safety fails—when corners are cut, when systems break down, when the job becomes more dangerous than it ever should be. Firefighters respond when things go wrong, but we are workers too. We face risks every day—burning buildings, toxic exposures, structural collapse, cancer-causing environments. We train for it. We accept risk as part of the job. But here’s the truth: no worker should have to accept unnecessary risk. Whether it’s a firefighter running into a burning home, a construction worker on a scaffold, a nurse in an understaffed hospital, or a warehouse worker pushed beyond safe limits—the danger is different, but the principle is the same. Every worker deserves protection. Every worker deserves a voice. Every worker deserves to go home. That’s what unions are about. Unions are not just about wages and benefits—they are about safety. They are about standing together and saying: enough. Enough shortcuts. Enough preventable injuries. Enough lives lost in the name of profit or neglect. The labor movement has always been the driving force behind workplace safety—from child labor laws to OSHA protections to cancer presumptions for firefighters. None of it was given. All of it was fought for. And that fight continues. Because today, we are still losing workers. On job sites. On roadways. In hospitals. In factories. And yes, in firehouses. We are still seeing preventable tragedies. Still seeing families changed forever because someone didn’t make it home. That is why this day matters. Not just as remembrance—but as a call to action. To recommit ourselves to safer workplaces. To demand accountability. To lift up the voices of workers who are too often ignored. And to support one another—across trades, across industries, across this entire labor movement. When a worker dies, it is not an isolated loss. It is a loss to all of us. And when we stand together, we honor them not just with words—but with action. So today, we remember. We remember the fallen. We honor their lives. We stand with their families. And we carry forward the responsibility they leave behind—to fight like hell for the living. Because the most powerful tribute we can offer is this: A future where fewer names are added to this list. Thank you.

LOCAL CANDIDATES ENDORSED: WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMISSION Felicita Monteblanco, District 2 Steve Callaway, District 4 Pam Treece, Chair CLACKAMAS COUNTY COMMISSION Paul Savas, Position 2 Diana Helm, Position 4 Ben West, Position 5 CLACKAMAS COUNTY CLERK Catherine McMullen METRO Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Council President Ashton Simpson, District 1 Christine Lewis, District 2 Miles Palacios, District 4 MULTNOMAH COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT Elizabeth Savage, Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District, Position 14 Chris Behre, Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District, Position 2 BEAVERTON CITY COUNCIL Rachel Philip, Position 1 Kevin Teater, Position 2 John Dugger, Position 5

Greetings, Union Siblings! Mark your calendars and save the date, because we at the NW Oregon Labor Council, AFL-CIO are happy to announce the 2026 Labor Appreciation Dinner , to be held on Saturday, June 27 , at the IBEW Hall, 15937 NE Airport Way in Portland. This special evening has been held for more than a quarter century to honor our fellow union leaders who have made outstanding contributions to our labor community.  The event is also a fundraiser for Labor’s Community Service Agency, which is, this year, celebrating its 51st anniversary providing aid to our labor community. As previous attendees will attest, much merriment is involved in our annual event, with our silent auction and raffle in addition to our awards program. As we did last year, we will be offering a small selection of premium items for the raffle section of our program for which a person may bid, in addition to the open raffle of smaller items, as in past years. We will have a reception with live music, followed by a Mexican food buffet that was very well-received last year due to high quality and options for those with dietary considerations. Please keep an eye out soon for all the details ! We look forward to seeing you June 27 and sharing in a night of festivities and solidarity.

PBOT asked us to get the word out about their Local Transportation Funding Open Houses – beginning February 19 th .  In addition to one open house in each district, there will also be an online open house that can be accessed through the website link included in this email (the online open house will be live from February 19-March 6). As you are probably aware, PBOT faces significant budget and service cuts if they cannot find a way to increase funding. The meetings will provide opportunities for feedback on how to allocate additional revenue,  options for raising additional revenue, and how we ensure accountability.  PBOT is hoping to have city councilors as well as the Mayor attend many of the meetings and the feedback that they receive will be summarized for presentations to all of the Council in March/April. The flyer attached has the details on the open house dates and locations.  Attached is a link to PBOT's website that includes more information on the open house and a copy of PBOT's Alternative Funding Report - Local Transportation Funding – Join the conversation | Portland.gov

After 19 months of bargaining, we have not reached an agreement with OPB that includes livable wages and sufficient yearly guaranteed increases for the people who create the content you love. Make your voice heard during OPB's membership Drive today, February 5 - February 14. https:// bsky .app/profile/opbkmhdcreators. bsky .social/post/3me4xu5r4ek2c https://www.instagram.com/opbkmhdcreators/p/DUYq-9uD2y4/ https://x.com/OPBKMHDCreators/status/2019508856095981851

OFNHP Local 5017 is having an informational picket on February 9, 2026 regarding their contract negotiations. Location: Sunnyside Medical Center, 10180 SE Sunnyside Rd, Clackamas. Times: 6:00 am to 9:00 am, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, and 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm Come by and show your support for our union family!

AFL-CIO Mourns Killing of Minneapolis Union Member, Reiterates Calls for ICE to Leave Minnesota January 24, 2026 AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued the following statement on the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a member of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), in Minneapolis: The AFL-CIO mourns the senseless killing of another Minneapolis resident by federal agents. Alex Jeffrey Pretti was a VA intensive care unit nurse and a member of AFGE Local 3669—a brother in our union family. Our thoughts are with Alex’s loved ones, his union siblings, and the people of Minneapolis at this devastating time.  As tens of thousands of Minnesotans made clear peacefully and powerfully yesterday, the Trump administration’s horrific operation—and their actions aimed at stoking violence and chaos—must end. America’s unions join the call for ICE to immediately leave Minnesota before anyone else is hurt or killed. We demand local authorities conduct a full, transparent investigation that will lead to accountability for this tragic and violent act, and for Congress to use its power to hold ICE accountable.

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

After months of negotiations with Kaiser, management is still unwilling to agree to common sense proposals that would preserve the future of patient care. With Kaiser having made more than $12.9 billion net revenue last year and CEO Greg Adams making more than $12 million a year in salary, Kaiser can afford to invest in patients and health care workers. What are we asking for? Safe staffing Patient access and adequate appointment lengths A voice in our workplace Wages that attract and retain qualified staff How to help this fight! Please call Kaiser Public Relations (503-798-1223) and tell Greg Adams and Wendy Watson to settle a fair contract now! Click here to sign the petition! https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/a-community-and-patient-to-kaiser-ceo-greg-adams?source=direct_link&

Hi Everyone, Our rally and canvass for our Portland Parks is happening in five days, and we want a GREAT turnout.  A surprise guest will kick off the event at the AFL-CIO building at 11 am .  The TV cameras should be there, so wear your union tee shirt and other swag and bring a friend to fill the room! Fully 269 jobs are at stake in the Portland Parks levy.  These are your union siblings, who care for our beautiful inventory of parks and recreation facilities.  The November 4th ballot due date is just ONE WEEK AWAY, and we need every supporter to turn in their YES votes. Will you join us in this effort by the House of Labor to support Portland Parks and parks workers? Click here  LINK  to sign up for the rally and canvass. Oh, and by the way:  the public is with us -- dramatically so -- but we need to REMIND THEM to turn in their ballots to win. In solidarity, Laurie Wimmer Executive Secretary-Treasurer, NW Oregon Labor Council Email: est@nwolc.org Cell Phone: 503-804-5362