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

Oregon is facing a crisis in higher education. In the last 15 years, with few exceptions, enrollment has declined at most campuses. State funding remains below pre-recession levels. Federal scholarship programs face an uncertain future and rising tuition has prompted more families to question whether a degree is worth the debt. Most of the state’s public universities are cutting their budgets.  Southern Oregon University plans to reduce its $71 million budget by $10 million. University of Oregon announced nearly $30 million in cuts, including the elimination of 176 full-time employee positions and 100 student worker jobs. Portland State University, where I am employed, faces a $35 million budget deficit over the next two years. PSU’s proposed cuts could result in the elimination of more than 200 full-time faculty and staff positions. PSU’s reductions come at a critical time for downtown Portland. The university employs thousands and draws 20,000 students to the city center. Yet according to Portland Clean & Safe, foot traffic downtown remains at half its pre-pandemic levels, 21 million pedestrians annually, down from 42 million in 2019. City officials have counted on PSU to anchor downtown recovery efforts, but PSU’s budget woes will set back recovery.  PSU President Ann Cudd has said that because more than 80% of our budget supports personnel, workforce reductions will be required. Faculty union representatives disagree. As PSU faculty union president Bill Knight notes, “cutting this many positions will damage our ability to serve students and support Portland’s recovery.”  The cuts also impact Portland State University’s adjunct faculty, classified staff, and graduate student assistants, represented by the Portland State University Faculty Association (PSUFA), SEIU Local 503 Sublocal 89, and the Graduate Employees Union (GEU). The direct impact of cuts was addressed by a student at last January’s PSU Board of Trustees meeting. The administration, he noted, had already cut classes across a wide range of departments, impairing students’ progress toward their degrees. When programs are eliminated and courses are canceled, students lose access to required classes, which can delay graduation. Some may have to change majors entirely. Others will face larger class sizes and reduced access to faculty advisors. Student support services, from mentoring to mental health counseling, often face the deepest cuts. For students already struggling with rising tuition and living costs, these service reductions can mean the difference between graduating and dropping out. A solution requires all hands on deck: state legislators increasing funding, donors investing in students, and university administrators working with—not against—employee unions to build a sustainable future for Oregon public universities and the educational quality our students deserve. ***Ramin Farahmandpur is a professor in the College of Education at Portland State University and former vice president for legislative and political action for the PSU local of the American Association of University Professors.***

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE COMING UP! Have you changed your name, address, or party affiliation?  Do you wish to do so? Are you a citizen who will be a first-time voter?  If yes to any of these, you will want to click this link BEFORE MIDNIGHT, OCTOBER 14 (TUESDAY) :   https://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/myvote.aspx?lang=en   On this site, you can quickly and easily: check if you are registered to vote view your voter registration information update your voter registration check the status of your ballot find contact information for your county elections office find contact information for your elected officials find a ballot drop site.   Infrequent voters will be relieved to know that in 2021, the Oregon Legislature passed a law to prevent officials from moving a voter to "inactive" status solely because they have not updated their registration or voted in a recent election.  Even so, you should check your registration status to be certain it is current and active. Your registration could be removed for other reasons, such as a change of address if you have moved.    WHY ARE WE TELLING YOU THIS NOW?   There’s a Special Election on Tuesday, November 4, 2025  in many Oregon counties. Some will profoundly affect the jobs of union members in parks, fire districts, and schools. Here’s the Complete List:   Clackamas Co. ·         City of Gladstone Measure 3-627 to annex Gladstone into Clackamas Fire District ·         Lake Oswego School District Bond ·         West Linn-Wilsonville School District Bond ·         Oregon Trail School District Bond ·         Sandy Fire District Measure 3-631 to annex Sandy Fire District into Clackamas Fire District ·         Measure 26-260 - City of Portland Parks Levy (NOLC endorsed) Columbia Co. ·         City of Rainier’s 3 cent per gallon fuel tax for street and sidewalk improvements ·         Rainier five-year Local Option Levy for Cemetery Operations Multnomah Co. ·         Measure 26-260 - City of Portland Parks Levy (NOLC endorsed) ·         Lake Oswego School District Bond Washington Co. ·         #34-346 Local Option Levy for countywide public safety services ·         Lake Oswego School District Bond ·         West Linn-Wilsonville School District Bond ·         Measure 26-260 - City of Portland Parks Levy (NOLC endorsed)

A REQUEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND LABOR SIBLINGS TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH OFNHP AS OUR MEMBERS PREPARE TO STRIKE! Saturday, OFNHP members in four different bargaining units at Kaiser facilities in Oregon and Southwest Washington delivered a 10-day strike notice to Kaiser for a 5-day strike scheduled to start on October 14.  OFNHP represents 5,200 workers in six bargaining units at Kaiser, the contracts for four of those bargaining units expired on September 30. The four bargaining units that will be taking strike action cover almost 4,000 OFNHP members and include professionals, two units of registered nurse units, and lab professionals across Kaiser facilities.   Outstanding issues in negotiations center around patient care changes Kaiser is making resulting in longer wait times for appointments, shorter times with caregivers, and retention and recruitment issues resulting from a lack of competitive pay.  In addition, to OFNHP, over 40,000 Kaiser workers who are members of UNAC-UHCP, UNITE HERE, HNHP, and USW across the country also delivered notices to strike on October 14.   Things you can do to support OFNHP members:   Join our Info Pickets this week  to show Kaiser you stand with us to demand they come to the table to avoid a strike! Easily shareable flyers attached. Tuesday 10/7 from 11A-1P at Kaiser Westside Hospital (2875 NE Stucki Ave, Hillsboro, OR) Wednesday 10/8 at 5PM-7PM at Kaiser Interstate South (3500 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR) Thursday 10/9 at 5PM-7PM at Kaiser North Lancaster (2400 Lancaster Drive NE, Salem, OR)   Click here to sign the community letter to Kaiser CEO Greg Adams and encourage your communities to do the same (email and/or social media post)   Share our radio ad on your social media pages: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPSapTxDnvA/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ofnhp/post/DPScFRniRGR TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ofnhp/video/7556426125237423373 X: https://x.com/OFNHP/status/1973556245157257693 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ofnhp.bsky.social/post/3m26elbqzp225 Facebook: https://fb.watch/CtFHLmXMsJ/   Sign up here  to receive updates such as strike line schedules, how to donate to our hardship fund, and how we’re fighting to protect patient care!   It’s time for healthcare CEOs to put patients first and respect the healthcare professionals that work hard to deliver care to our communities. That you for your support for OFNHP members who standing together for a fair agreement!   In Solidarity, Hannah Winchester, DPT Political and Community Organizer Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (503) 791-9422

IMPACTS OF THE FED. GOV. SHUTDOWN ON WORKERS The federal government shutdown that began at midnight last night will hurt us all.  We are sending out this urgent message because our neighbors and friends and union families need to understand who is doing this and why, and its impacts and stakes.  First of all, the partisan politics in DC will be playing a blame game, but this is NOT A GAME for the American people – especially the nearly 750,000 federal workers * who will be furloughed or fired or forced to work without pay. Second, as of November 1, health care premiums are estimated to increase by a whopping 114 PERCENT , driving millions of people off their health care and raising premiums for everybody, even those with employer-provided policies. (Both expiring ACA premium tax credits and massive cuts to Medicaid will drive 15 million people out of health care access.) Third, services we all depend on – from schools, to hospitals, to airports, to state and local programs – will be reduced, frozen, and underfunded.  Both SNAP food benefits and FEMA funds are likely to dry up before this is over.  The timing couldn’t be worse, given the coming storm season and job-loss impacts that will ripple into our regions. And all of this could have been avoided if those in charge of the House, Senate, and White House had just protected people’s health care access.  But they would rather fund billionaires’ tax breaks instead.  And now they’re sowing chaos and blaming their political opponents. Unions are trusted voices  when the mud starts flying.  It is essential that we all understand what is happening and how to fix it.  You all, as union leaders, are being called to join us in getting out the word on social media, in your communities, at job sites, and wherever you are able to lift your voices.  Your message should be simple: Ø  Stop the Trump shutdown. Ø  Fund the government. Ø  Fix the health care crisis. Ø  Put working people first. For social media posts: #StopTheTrumpShutdown #FundTheGovernment #FixTheHealthCareCrisis   You can also call your US Senators and Representatives by calling them at 844-896-5059 . Tell them to get to work, fund the government, and stop the health care crisis.   For more, check out this video of AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpY-C-Fdt-s   * These are the people who care for our veterans, deliver Social Security checks on time, keep our food and water safe, and protect us at airports and during natural disasters. This administration has already pushed about 1 in 8 federal workers–– 300,000 people ––out of their jobs this year alone. Now, Russell Vought, the Project 2025 author turned Office of Management and Budget director, is threatening to use a shutdown to illegally fire even more federal workers after months of chaotic firings and rehirings. We know that there is a lot going on in your world -- not the least of which is the National Guard deployment and its implications for our communities -- so we truly appreciate your collaboration as we get the word out to all our 60,000 workers in our four-county region. And don't forget that as things get worse, the workers who are struggling the most may be able to be referred to Labor's Community Service Agency (LCSA) at 503-231-4962 . In solidarity,   Laurie Wimmer Executive Secretary-Treasurer, NW Oregon Labor Council Email: est@nwolc.org Cell Phone: 503-804-5362

Union members at Independent Police Review are fighting for their jobs and their Union. IPR Union members are bargaining for a new contract, and the City refuses to acknowledge our hard work and professionalism by guaranteeing to recognize our Union and provide jobs in the new oversight system - all while depending on us to keep in compliance with the Department of Justice and process and investigate important complaints and issues. Politicizing public employees and eliminating our work while destroying our union has a name - union busting. Join us to stand up for our jobs and our union. Join Us for a Practice Picket Wednesday, September 17th Noon - 1pm in front of Portland City Hall. RSVP online to help us get an estimate of how many attendees we can expect (not required) Join us on your break or personal time - lunch provided! Flyer attached with QR code to RSVP. Come join us and show support for our labor family!

Portland State University faculty need the help of our Union Family today !  The university’s Board of Trustees has been dangerously detached from educational and labor experience and concerns as it relates to decision making about the future – decisions that, if done wrong, will wreak irrevocable harm to the university’s students and workers. One way to ensure that the Board of Trustees includes the voice of labor is to appoint Dr. Mary King to an upcoming vacancy.  If you could take a few minutes to log into this link to read more about it and send Governor Kotek (who makes the appointment) your thoughts, you’d be helping your union siblings at PSU in a powerful way.  Thanks so much for showing union solidarity in this week of Labor Day mobilization. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/governor-kotek-appoint-dr-mary-king-to-the-portland-state-board-of-trustees/