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c3Category — Labor
Posted inNews

Council Workers’ Union Complaint Alleges Loretta Smith Fired Staffer in Retaliation for Union Organizing

The newly-formed Council Alliance of Workers union is calling on city councilors to uphold their commitment to labor rights in their own workplaces.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

A new union representing Portland City Council aides and operations staff filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint against the city for alleged anti-union conduct from Councilor Loretta Smith’s office. The complaint, filed January 13, alleges Smith retaliated against and fired a former aide due to his role in organizing the Council staff union.  The […]

Posted inNews

“We Want the Same Protections”: TriMet Safety Staff Announce Union Effort

They work to keep passengers safe, but say they are not afforded the rights of regular TriMet employees.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

Alison Segler has worked as a TriMet Safety Response Team staffer for the better part of the last five years. She is passionate about her job, which allows her to connect with people riding Portland’s public transit system, and provide resources to those in need.  “I would like to express that it is my honor […]

Posted inNews

Strike Averted: New Seasons Grocery Workers Secure First Labor Contract

After threatening to strike, unionized workers voted Monday to ratify a contract with increased wages and better health insurance protections.
Avatar photo Abe Asher

Just three weeks ago, Ava Robbins, cheese clerk at the New Seasons location in Concordia and co-chair of the New Season Labor Union, was preparing for a protracted, holiday-season strike.  “A few months ago at the bargaining table, we said we can’t let this drag on into another year,” Robbins said. “We’re close to an […]

Posted inNews

Legacy Health Staff Say They’ll Stay on Strike Until Company Offers Better Deal

Clinicians say their pay hasn’t kept pace with wages at other local health care systems as the two sides begin mediation.  
Avatar photo Abe Asher

Advanced practice providers at Legacy Health medical centers in Portland remain on strike this week, and say they’ll stay on their picket lines until they reach an agreement for a new labor contract. “The energy is high,” Megan Barckert, a nurse practitioner at Legacy Cancer Services, told the Mercury from a rain-soaked picket line at […]

Posted inNews

Portland-Area Starbucks Baristas Remain on Strike Over Labor Contract, Wage Disputes

Nationwide, unionized baristas say the company has failed to negotiate fair terms as the coffee chain racks up labor violations and complaints.
Avatar photo Abe Asher

Workers at unionized Starbucks locations across the Portland area remain on strike this week and say they will not return to work until Starbucks resolves complaints about its labor practices and returns to the bargaining table. Roughly 2,000 workers at 95 unionized Starbucks locations across the country have been on strike since mid-November. Seven of […]

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Amid Months of Contentious Bargaining, PSU Adjunct Union Wins Unfair Labor Practice Case

A state board found PSU violated labor law by withholding benefit funds from adjunct union members. The incident has shaken the trust of many adjunct faculty as the union works on their next contract.
Avatar photo Kevin Foster

Portland State University’s adjunct faculty union recently won an unfair labor practice case against Portland State University (PSU) over the withholding of special benefit funds. The outcome was a victory for the Portland State University Faculty Association (PSUFA), but adjuncts at the university are still shaken by PSU’s actions amid ongoing contract negotiations.  The union […]

Posted inNews

Workers at Moda Center Renew Concerns Over Self-Serve Alcohol Sales

Levy Restaurants employees say management is not doing enough to abide by OLCC rules.
Avatar photo Abe Asher

Food and beverage service workers at the Moda Center are raising fresh concerns with their bosses about alcohol sales at the arena’s self-service kiosks.  Two years ago, Levy Restaurants, the longtime food, beverage, and retail service provider for the Rose Quarter, partnered with Amazon to bring Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology to four stores inside […]

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City Council Caught in the Middle of Police Oversight Labor Strike

Councilors are avoiding City Hall while Portland’s Independent Police Review staff are on strike, bringing some Council operations to a halt. 
Avatar photoAvatar photo Jeremiah Hayden and Courtney Vaughn

Staff at Portland’s Independent Police Review (IPR) typically work out of a ground-level office at City Hall, but on Wednesday afternoon, they were setting up tents just feet from where they normally report to work. Wednesday marked the start of a three-day strike by IPR’s 11 union-represented employees. Despite wind and periodic bursts of heavy […]

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Portland-Area Kaiser Permanente Workers Could Strike as Soon as Next Week

Thousands of employees voted to strike if the health care workers can’t reach a labor agreement with Kaiser before Tuesday.
Avatar photo Abe Asher

Healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and Southwest Washington are set to strike for five days beginning next Tuesday if they are unable to reach a contract agreement with the care consortium.  The Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), which represents around 4,000 Kaiser employees, announced last month that 97 percent of […]

Posted inMercury Jobs

Cool Jobs Alert: The Mercury Is Hiring a Social Media Manager AND a Marketing Manager!

Avatar photo Mercury Promotions

Guys! The Mercury is bursting at the seams and hiring two new positions that you (or someone you know) might be interested in. Check out the job listings for both a Social Media Manager AND a Marketing Manager below, and tell your smart friends! Portland Mercury Social Media Manager: Annual Salary: $70,000 Role Overview The Portland […]

Posted inNews

Workers in Portland’s Independent Police Investigation Unit Authorize a Strike

The complaint investigation unit says the city’s new voter-approved police oversight system could leave them jobless.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

In 2020, Portland voters approved a major overhaul of the city’s current police oversight and accountability system. A ballot measure called for a new, civilian-led police oversight board and a city-funded team of investigators with the authority to investigate complaints and issue discipline.  Five years later, the new Community Board for Police Accountability (CBPA) is […]

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