News

To kick off National Apprenticeship Week, United We Heal (UWH) celebrated their graduating apprentices in Portland on Friday, November 15th. 

Workers from the Stabilization and Crisis Unit (SACU), represented by Oregon AFSCME Local 1264, have announced a vote of no confidence against Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Direc

In a nearly unanimous vote today, Benton County workers represented by AFSCME Local 2064 ratified a strong three-year contract, following nearly a year of bargaining and five days on the strike lin

STATEMENT FROM STACY CHAMBERLAIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OREGON AFSCME ON 2022 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

With Oregon working families facing so many challenges right now, we needed state lawmakers to take action on the lack of child care options, the behavioral health staffing crisis in communities and at the Oregon State Hospital, the housing crisis, and other issues our members said were priorities.

Today in a bipartisan vote, the Oregon House of Representatives passed HB 4005 to make providing care more economically feasible for family child care providers. The bill is part of a historic $100 million child care package that is moving through the 2022 legislative session.

The 2022 legislative session is starting to deliver for Oregon workers. Oregon AFSCME started the 2022 legislative session with several priority bills that advance economic and social justice for members and for other Oregon workers and their families. As we move into the last two weeks of the session, we have reached some important milestones in our advocacy. 

PORTLAND, OR - Over the last few weeks, employees at Lines for Life, a 24-hour crisis line non-profit based in Portland, voted by an overwhelming majority to join Oregon AFSCME.

After over 25 months of bargaining, the members of the six unions that make up the District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) have voted in favor of accepting city management most recent proposal, which calls off a declared strike with just over 24 hours to go.

The agreement includes:

  • A 2% across the board raise on top of COLA in the fourth year of the contract

  • Preservation of essential worker language

State lawmakers must prioritize Oregon’s working families and those left behind during the pandemic. While corporate profits skyrocket, our state has serious issues affecting everyday Oregonians that must be addressed. Every county in the state is a child care desert due to a lack of support for parents and child care providers, especially parents and providers of color. Oregon has the highest rate of addiction in the country because of historic underinvestment in treatment service staffing that has only gotten worse since the pandemic.

Yesterday, Oregon AFSCME Executive Director Stacy Chamberlain testified in favor of HB 4005 – a key piece of the 2022 Childcare Investment Package. 

“I’m honored to represent over 33,000 workers in every corner of Oregon, including more than 2,100 family child care providers. In our union, we see the child care crisis from all sides.

Last week, following numerous reported cases of illegal interference by City of Portland managers in an attempt to disrupt these employees' legally protected right to vote to strike, over 86% of District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) members voted to authorize a strike to begin at 9am on Thursday, February 10th.

As of now, this means all City employees represented by DCTU will cease working at 9am, on Thursday, February 10th.