At the end of the summer, Oregon saw a decrease in new campaigns and election wins but a large uptick in labor actions.
"Last month in Oregon labor" is a monthly installment by Aurora Biggers covering all things Oregon labor.
Health care and medical research workers carried the brunt of the action in August, with nurses and researchers holding contract rallies against Kaiser Permanente and the Oregon Health & Science University. August also saw a statewide boycott spread south from Washington, with farmworkers in both states calling on shoppers to avoid mushrooms supplied by Windmill Farms.
Workers faced a cliffhanger in July, with mass layoffs on the horizon for transportation workers due to the state legislature’s failure to pass a transportation funding package. In the last days of August, lawmakers convened for a special session. House members passed a transportation bill Sept. 1, but lawmakers delayed a vote in the Senate for two weeks, to allow for the participation of one senator who was recovering from surgery.
Labor actions
The Oregon Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals held a rally Aug. 7 supporting Kaiser workers, who are bargaining for a new contract. Oregon’s Kaiser workers are part of a national health care alliance of unions that bargain with Kaiser, including 60,000 health care professionals nationwide.
The union said members are fighting for living wages, safe staffing, and “a real voice on the job.”
On Aug. 13, the Oregon American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, rallied outside Mackenzie Hall on the OHSU campus, as approximately 1,800 research workers continued to bargain for a first contract. The workers unionized last year and began bargaining in September 2024 but have yet to secure their first contract.
New campaigns and elections
Bus drivers and mechanics at First Student Inc. in Tigard filed Aug. 1 to join the Teamsters Local 206.
Advanced practice providers that work in pediatric and adult specialties at Legacy Medical Group clinics in Oregon and Washington voted 20-1 and 59-6, respectively, on Aug. 5 to join the Oregon Nurses Association.
On Aug. 8, fiber optic technicians at Northwest Fiber in Tigard filed to join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 89.
After filing for an election in April, REI employees in Eugene voted 20-26 against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555 on Aug. 8.
On Aug. 13, fitters, fusers, welders, laborers and meter-riser technicians at Canyon Pipeline Construction in Central Point voted 4-5 against joining the Plumbers and Steamfitters United Association Local 290.
Lactation registered nurses at the Providence Newberg Medical Center voted unanimously on Aug. 18 to join ONA.
On Aug. 19, company management employees at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival filed to join one of the existing units represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 154.
New Seasons workers at the Southeast Woodstock store location voted in an even split Aug. 20, with 33 workers voting for and 33 workers voting against joining the New Seasons Labor Union. In a split vote, rather than holding an additional vote, the NLRB considers the election lost.
Case management registered nurses at the Tuality Healthcare Hillsboro Medical Center filed Aug. 28 to join ONA.
These workers “are the backbone of scientific discovery and innovation that benefits humanity,” the union said, “But too many of them are struggling to make ends meet.”
Two years after forming their union, nurses at the Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center are also still working without a contract. Now, the over 400 nurses represented by Oregon Nurses Association have voted to authorize a strike.
On Aug. 16, ONA announced the strike vote results, saying Legacy had failed to make meaningful investments in recruitments and retention or in offering fair wages and benefits. One week later, after a “marathon mediation session,” ONA announced that nurses had reached a tentative agreement. Nurses will now vote on whether to accept the agreement.
“We’re proud to care for patients at Legacy Mt. Hood and serve the East County community,” Jenni Suarez, a registered nurse at Legacy Mt. Hood and an ONA bargaining team member, said in a press release. “This tentative agreement demonstrates a real commitment to frontline caregivers, patients, and our community as a whole. If ratified, this contract will help recruit and retain nurses and ensure our patients receive the care they need and deserve.”
After over two years of demanding union recognition, farmworkers at Windmill Farms in Sunnyside, Washington are continuing to raise awareness for their boycott of Windmill’s mushroom products.
Unlike most other industries, farmworkers are federally exempt from being able to form officially recognized unions. As a result, workers like those at Windmill Farms may organize with unions like the United Farmworkers Union, but the union has no power to compel the employer to recognize or bargain with workers.
Workers in Oregon are now standing in solidarity with the Washington workers. Oregon’s farmworkers union, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, has joined the call for the boycott, alongside the Oregon AFL-CIO and other supporting unions.
On Aug. 21, the unions and the Oregon AFL-CIO held a rally outside the Northwest Lovejoy Street Safeway in Portland to call attention to the boycott of mushrooms sold there and persuade customers to purchase their mushrooms elsewhere.
On Aug. 26, advanced practice providers in Legacy’s specialty departments rallied outside the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center to advocate for a fair contract. The providers have been bargaining since May 2024.
OHSU postdoctoral research workers represented by Oregon AFSCME held a rally on campus Aug. 27 in support of former OHSU employee Dr. Paula Sánchez Molina, who was terminated after taking medical leave and reporting a fellow doctor for “ongoing bullying, discrimination, harassment and retaliation.”
On the same day, Oregon AFSCME Washington County Juvenile Department workers held a protest at the Washington County Public Services Building in Hillsboro to reject the county’s most recent offer at the bargaining table.
According to the union, the county is offering 0% for the cost-of-living-adjustment for the first year and a variable adjustment for the second year. Oregon AFSCME says the youth counselors they represent make approximately $13 less per hour than their counterparts at Oregon Youth Authority, despite sharing similar job duties.
August was a long build-up for a few of Oregon’s large public employee unions. At the end of the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers had failed to pass a public transportation package resulting in a large swath of state, county and city transportation workers losing their jobs. Gov. Tina Kotek, however, called for a special session to rectify the funding gap.
On Aug. 29, when the legislature reconvened for the special session, the Service Employees International Union Local 503, or SEIU, held a rally outside the Capitol to demand that lawmakers pass a funding package that prioritizes protecting jobs and investing in Oregon’s roads and infrastructure. Oregon AFSCME and the Amalgamated Transit Union also represent workers who would be affected if additional funding wasn’t passed.
Oregon’s special session
Though the Oregon State Legislature convened on Aug. 29, not much progress was made the first day of the session due to quorum issues.
Amidst their rally and the drama happening on the legislative floor, with many representatives failing to show up, SEIU took to social media to chastise lawmakers, saying, “ODOT workers show up every day to do their jobs — why can’t the legislature show up to do theirs? Pass the transportation package and #KeepOregonMoving!” The union also noted that ODOT workers report to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, often in inclement weather.
“We’re deeply disappointed that the House failed to make (a) quorum to start the special session and pass a transportation package,” the union said on social media. “The roads won’t wait — and neither will we.”
As of Sept. 1, the state House of Representatives had finally reached quorum and managed to pass a bill that will provide the necessary funding to retain jobs by adding and increasing transit-related taxes. The Senate will still need to vote to pass the bill before sending it to the governor’s desk.
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