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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2020)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | rations and the wealthy. Demonstrations for $15 an hour and a union take place at fast food restaurants in 150 cities. NLRB says it will hold McDonald’ “jointly liable” for labor law violations by franchise owners. Seattle City Council raises minimum wage to $15 an hour. Washington lawmakers give Boeing $8.7 billion in tax concessions, the largest corporate tax subsidy in the history of the United States; Boeing Machinists ratify eight- year contract extension that eliminates de- fined benefit pension. 2015: Labor goes all in to defeat Fast Track, but it passes Congress anyway, paving the way for easier passage of more trade agreements that will send jobs overseas. Oregon passes sick leave legisla- tion. State Supreme Court strikes down law reducing cost-of-living increases for retired public employees. After rolling one-day strikes by up to 40,000 teachers, Washington Legislature increases funding for schools and colleges and gives school teachers and state employees a raise for the first time in seven years. 2016: Oregon Legislature raises mini- mum wage to $14.75 by 2022. 39,000 CWA and IBEW members strike Verizon’s East Coast landline operations for 45 days. Labor- “We are rooted in the fight for justice on job sites, and we take pride in working on initiatives to make our unions more inclusive and welcoming to all. This Labor Day, let's continue working with community allies on policies that promote and enhance economic wellbeing, justice, and fairness for our Black, Brown, Native, Asian, Pacific Islanders, Indigenous people, Women, Immigrants, and our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers.” R OBERT C AMARILLO , E XECUTIVE S ECRETARY “Wishing all our Friends in the Labor Community a Safe and Happy Labor Day.” Raymond Thomas James Coon Cynthia Newton endorsed Hillary Clinton wins nearly 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, but loses the electoral college vote for president. Oregon voters reject union-backed Ballot Measure 97 to raise taxes on the biggest corporations. Washington voters approve state minimum wage increase to $13.50 an hour and give workers the right to paid sick leave. 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership fails in Congress following broad public and labor opposition, the first corporate-written trade deal since NAFTA to fail. 2017: Trump appointees in the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board reverse Obama-era progress on workers rights and safety regu- lations. Trump Administration passes massive tax cut for corporations and the wealthy, fails in attempt to repeal and replace Affordable Care Act. 37,000 CWA members at AT&T in 36 states strike 3 days. Boeing workers in South Carolina reject Machinists Union. Ore- gon Legislature passes first-in-the-nation law cracking down on abusive scheduling prac- tices by employers. Washington passes paid family and medical leave law 2018: In Janus v. AFSCME, 5-4 Republican-appointed U.S. Supreme Court majority rules that state and local public employees can’t be required to pay anything to the union that represents them. Public school teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Arizona strike and win raises ranging from 5 to 14%. 2,400 faculty Oregon State University unionize • 8,000 Washington teachers strike and win raises of 10 to 26%. 2019: 800,000 federal workers furloughed or work without pay when Trump refuses to sign spending bills that don’t include funding for a Mexican border wall. After air traffic con- trollers stopped showing up, Trump backs down and signs. Teacher strike wave contin- ues in LA, and Oregon. Oregon lawmakers pass $1 billion tax increase on the biggest August 21, 2020 | PAGE 35 corporations to improve K-12 funding, end “no-cause” eviction, cap rent increases at 7% plus inflation, and set up a paid family and medical leave program starting 2023 … and cut up to 2.5% in public employee retirement contributions. UFCW Local 555 wins wage in- creases of up to $2.70 an hour, plus a guar- antee of 20 hours a week with benefits for 20,000 grocery workers. 830 residents and 250 graduate researchers at OHSU unionize. 838 hospital support workers at Providence Portland unionize. Graham Trainor elected president of Oregon AFL-CIO. 2020: Global coronavirus pandemic shuts down busi- nesses, tens of thousands of workers fur- loughed or laid off. NW Labor Press survives initial calamity. Future to be determined ... reCipe For student suCCess: Funding Organized labor rallied in Salem in February 2018 for full fund- ing of schools. FAir trAde, not FAst-trACked nAFtA-styLe trAde deALs Union members marched through downtown Portland in April 2015 to denounce a bill in Congress to mandate a quick up-or-down vote with no amendments for NAFTA-style free trade agreements. Chris Frost www.tcnf.legal Sydney Montanaro Scott Sell Chris Thomas 820 SW Second Ave., Suite 200, Portland, OR 97204 on time And under budget The union-built Tilikum Crossing mass tran- sit bridge—opened Sept. 12, 2015—is the first new Portland-area span over the Willamette River since the Fremont Bridge in 1973.
