NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | July 6, 2018 | PAGE 11
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PASSENGERS SUPPORT UNIONS TOO. Allies of Amalgamated Transit Union
Local 757 members employed at First Transit gathered June 25 for a “Speak
Out for Accessibility in Public Transit and Housing” organized by the Workers’
Rights Board of Portland Jobs with Justice. First Transit is a private subcontrac-
tor that provides TriMet LIFT service for seniors and people with disabilities.
Workers are bargaining for a new contract, but it’s not going well. Final offers
in May were soundly rejected by drivers and dispatchers in Multnomah and
Washington counties. The Workers’ Rights Board has been gathering testimony
from LIFT riders and drivers about labor and human rights violations they’ve
experienced since First Transit contracted with TriMet. At the event they talked
of the challenges they face and what might be done to fix them.
Oregon minimum
wage rose on July 1
The Portland-area wage is
now $12 an hour.
Jill Alcantar
360.787.6975
12/31/18
2018
An estimated 270,000 Ore-
gon workers earning mini-
mum wage got a raise on
July 1.
Within the Portland Ur-
ban Growth Boundary pay
went from $11.25 per hour
to $12; in rural counties it
went from $10 an hour to
$10.50; and for the rest of
the state it went from
$10.25 to $10.75.
The annual increases,
which run through July
2022, were approved by the
Legislature two years ago.
Workers earning the
minimum wage should
check their pay stubs and
contact Oregon’s Bureau of
Labor and Industries Wage
and Hour Division if they
have any questions about
the increase or to report an
employer who is not in-
creasing wages in accor-
dance with the law.