NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
woman president of Communications Work-
ers Local 9201, elected state representative
from east Multnomah County. 1979: Neil
Goldschmidt resigns as Portland mayor to
become U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Re-
tail Clerks and Meat Cutters merge to form
United Food and Commercial Workers.
George Meany steps down and Lane Kirk-
land is elected national AFL-CIO president.
1980: Former actor and Screen Actors Guild
President Ronald Reagan elected President
of U.S. First strike in 66 years of Pressmen’s
Local 43 called against Daily Journal of Com-
merce. Strike by Multnomah County Employ-
ees Local 88 lasts 38 days. Unions also strike
Chevron, Wagner Mining, Nabisco, FMC,
Ross Island Sand and Gravel. Eruption of Mt.
St. Helens leaves massive cleanup task in
Southwest Washington. Oregon Federation
of Nurses wins representation election at
Kaiser Sunnyside Hospital. Oregon AFL-CIO
calls for federal and state plant closure legis-
lation. Union Labor Retirement Association
opens Kirkland Union Manor. Portland Brick-
layers Local 1 has first all-woman pre-ap-
prenticeship class. Joyce Miller, a vice presi-
dent of the Amalgamated Clothing & Textile
Workers, becomes first female member of
the AFL-CIO Executive Council. Energy costs
soar and uncontrolled imports hit auto, steel
industries. 1981: President Reagan busts air
traffic controllers union and fires 11,000 strik-
ing controllers. Republican Gov. Vic Atiyeh
opposes ”right-to-work” legislation. “Scab or
starve” proposals of State Department of Hu-
man Resources halted. Republican Attorney
General Dave Frohnmayer rules state labor
laws do not apply on Indian reservations. Port
of Portland employees strike. Irv Fletcher and
Bob Baugh elected president and secretary-
treasurer, respectively, of Oregon AFL-CIO.
400,000 union members march in Washing-
ton, D.C., in labor’s first Solidarity Day to
protest Reagan Administration policies. Jobs
with Justice rally in Washington State draws
8,000 unionists to Olympia. 1982: USPS dou-
bles postage costs for non-profit publications
such as the Labor Press. 15,000 workers
August 21, 2020 | PAGE 25
A DAY FOR JOBS AND JUSTICE 1982 Solidarity March in Portland.
rally in Olympia calling for more jobs and eco-
nomic justice. Thousands attend Oregon
AFL-CIO “Jobs and Justice” rally at Portland’s
Terry Schrunk Plaza to protest programs of
the Reagan Administration. Sheet Metal
Workers Local 544 merges into Local 16.
Groundbreaking of new Veterans Administra-
tion Hospital on Marquam Hill in Southwest
Portland. 1983: Metal Trades strike Swan Is-
land repair firms, Bingham-Willamette, FMC.
Louisiana-Pacific scabs out jobs of striking
union workers while other wood products
firms settle contracts with Woodworkers and
LPIW. Labor protests contracts awarded for
Banfield Freeway expansion, Tri-Met light rail
construction to non-union R.A. Hatch of
Bend. Oregon Legislature changes law to
permit sales of unpasteurized Coors Beer.
LERC conducts classes for unions on how to
buy a computer. Nationwide strike at Bell
System impacts 14,000 CWA and IBEW
members in Oregon and Washington. 1984:
After a trip to Asia, Nellie Fox, Oregon AFL-
CIO political director, says plant operated in
China for Nike is unsafe for workers. Armour
sells north Portland packing plant to ConA-
gra, which illegally weeds out union workers.
AFTRA loses decertification election at Port-
land television station KATU (Channel 2).
1985: Atlantic-Richfield (Arco) awards con-
tract to build Alaskan oil field modules at Port-
land ship repair yard to nonunion Brown and
Root. Port of Portland invites nonunion Lock-
port, an offshoot of Seattle’s Lockheed Ship-
building, to Swan Island. Union professional
football players appear briefly as Portland
Breakers of United States Football League,
stage a one-season stand. Kirkland Union
Manor II is dedicated and Union Labor Re-
tirement Association says planning is under
way for third structure at Powell Boulevard
site. 1986: United Food and Commercial
Workers locals in Oregon and Southwest
Washington merge into Tigard-based Local
555; it becomes largest private-sector union
in Oregon with about 17,500 members.
Dillingham Ship Repair illegally implements
Metal Trades contract and then fires union
members who protest. Metropolitan Area Ex-
press (MAX) light rail begins operation. 1987:
Dillingham and Lockport close down; new
Swan Island repair firm, WSI, goes union af-
ter strong organizing drive. Citing irreconcil-
able differences, Woodworkers split into sep-
arate United States and Canadian
organizations at Portland convention. Attor-
ney General Dave Frohnmayer angers build-
ing trades with opinion that payment of pre-
vailing wages not required on construction of
“turnkey” structures for state agencies. Co-
WE BUILT THIS CITY Iron Workers Local 29 members topped out the new
Veterans Administration Hospital on “Pill Hill” in Southwest Portland in 1984.
Pickets were common at Portland International Airport in support of striking
Machinists at Eastern and Continental airlines. Mechanics and ramp service
employees walked out on March 4, 1989. A sympathy strike called by the pi-
lots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association and flight attendants rep-
resented by the Transport Workers Union effectively shut down the airline’s
domestic operations. Non-contract employees, including airport gate and
ticket counter agents and reservation sales agents, did not honor the strike.
lumbia County Labor Council merges into
Northwest Oregon Labor Council. Seattle
Seahawks use scabs during NFL players
strike. Teamsters back in AFL-CIO fold after
absence of 30 years. 1988: International
Longshore & Warehouse Union granted a
charter by the AFL-CIO. Sailors Union of Pa-
cific closes Portland office. UFCW Local 555