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.