Kaiser Permanente mental health workers on strike in California in 2018. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Roughly 3,400 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in Oregon and Southwest Washington along with tens of thousands of workers in California have announced their intent to strike over a new contract proposal on the morning of November 15. Kaiser workers […]
Abe Asher
Abe Asher covers city news, politics, and soccer for the Portland Mercury. His reporting has appeared in The Nation, VICE News, Sahan Journal, and other outlets.
Posted inSports
Former Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc Named New Portland Thorns General Manager
Karina LeBlanc Portland Thorns FC The Portland Thorns have a new general manager. The club announced early Monday morning that it has hired its former goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc as the club’s second-ever general manager to replace the embattled Gavin Wilkinson as the club prepares for a pivotal offseason. “I thought I might come back as […]
Posted inFood & Drink Guide 2021
As Climate Change Worsens, Can Portland Restaurant Workers and Owners Hold On?
Jojo plans to offer more vegetarian options at its upcoming brick-and-mortar location. Pictured here is a fried Brussels sprout and heirloom tomato sandwich from the food cart. COURTESY OF JOJO PDX Justin Hintze, owner of the popular food cart and soon-to-be restaurant Jojo, can’t remember all of the times he has been forced to close […]
Posted inFood & Drink Guide 2021: Eating Sustainably
As Climate Change Worsens, Can Portland Restaurant Workers and Owners Hold On?
Justin Hintze, owner of the popular food cart and soon-to-be restaurant Jojo, can’t remember all of the times he has been forced to close his cart due to extreme weather in the last two years. “I don’t remember heatwaves anything like the ones we get multiple times a year,” said Hintze, who grew up in […]
Posted inSports
Following Harassment Allegations, Thorns Fans Call for Merchandise Boycott and General Manager Resignation
Portland Thorns on the field in 2019, backed by their supporters, the Rose City Riveters PORTLAND THORNS FC Portland Thorns and Timbers supporters are calling for a boycott of stadium concessions and club merchandise and the removal of Thorns general manager Gavin Wilkinson as the fallout from the Paul Riley abuse scandal continues. “Our hearts […]
Posted inNews
Oregon Kaiser Permanente Workers Poised to Strike
Kaiser nurses working at a drive-thru COVID-19 test site in 2020. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Nearly 3,400 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon are on the verge of striking as their union contract expires and contract negotiations between Kaiser and workers across the country have stalled. Members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses […]
Posted inSports
Abuse Allegations Against Former Portland Thorns Coach Put Soccer Club on Defensive
A photo of former Thorns couch Paul Riley speaking with members of the North Carolina Courage. Maddie Meyer / Getty Images The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is reeling from one of the biggest scandals to hit women’s soccer in the United States in years—and the Portland Thorns are right in the middle of it. […]
Posted inNews
Oregon’s Redistricting Process Hits a Partisan Slowdown
Oregon State Capitol 4nadia / Getty Images In the spring, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, a Democrat, and House Republican leadership cut a deal: Republicans would stop using stall tactics to block Kotek’s legislative agenda if Kotek agreed to evenly split the House committee in charge of redistricting between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats benefitted handsomely […]
Posted inNews
Union Vote Ends Nabisco Strike, Despite Portland Workers’ Protest
Scenes from the Nabisco picket line in Portland, where supporters clashed with company security guards. Jordan Brokaw Nabisco workers have ratified a tentative agreement on a new contract with their parent company Mondelez International, ending a strike that began in Portland more than five weeks ago and spread across the country. Members of the Bakery, […]
Posted inNews
Nabisco Security Guards Turn Violent As Bakery Strike Enters Second Month
Nabisco workers picket outside of Northeast Portland’s Nabisco factory in August. BAKERY, CONFECTIONERY, TOBACCO WORKERS AND GRAIN MILLERS’ INTERNATIONAL UNION LOCAL 364 Tensions are high on the picket line at a Nabisco bakery in Northeast Portland, where security guards have physically clashed with strike supporters as Mondelez International and union officials come to the table […]
Posted inFall Arts Guide 2021: Art Is Political
These Portland Arts and Culture Venues Support the Wheeler Recall Effort
When the COVID-19 pandemic first shut down Oregon back in March of last year, Lani Jo Leigh, the longtime owner of the Clinton Street Theater in Southeast Portland, had no idea if her theater would survive. “I’m 67,” Leigh said. “We were having to throw our own retirement savings at keeping the theater alive, and […]
Posted inUncategorized
These Portland Arts and Culture Venues Support the Wheeler Recall Effort
When the COVID-19 pandemic first shut down Oregon back in March of last year, Lani Jo Leigh, the longtime owner of the Clinton Street Theater in Southeast Portland, had no idea if her theater would survive. “I’m 67,” Leigh said. “We were having to throw our own retirement savings at keeping the theater alive, and […]