News

Salem, Oregon - Oregon's 82nd Legislative Assembly passed HB 4045, the Public Safety Workforce Stabilization Act, an historic investment in Oregon's public safety workers..

The Oregon Retirement Savings Board and State Treasurer Tobias Read today announced that $5 million of dedicated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars are being disbursed by Oregon's Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) to fund the OregonSaves retirement accounts of more than 900 Oregon childcare service providers.

The Oregon Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) cordially invites you to join us for a month-long recognition of Black excellence in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Labor History Associ

In the 1980s, I was living and going to school in Minnesota when women who worked for state government won a big victory. They got the state to increase the pay of women in “female dominated jobs” by passing a pay equity bill. In other words, they put a dent in the gender pay gap. As a student, I researched and wrote about the process of crafting, passing and implementing that legislation. And I learned something that I have never forgotten: the union made it happen. And not just any union. Our union: AFSCME. 

Our union gained more than 9,000 dues-paying members and nearly 19,000 dues-paying retirees in the last year, suggesting that billionaires and corporations are failing in their effort to “defund and defang” public service unions.

The 80th legislative session kicks off today and provides us both opportunities and challenges.  We have the chance to pass significant legislation to improve our working conditions.  However, we also have to be vigilant and fight proposed changes to Oregon law that may hurt us or make our jobs more challenging.

LAS VEGAS — More than 160 AFSCME members gathered in Las Vegas last week to lift up the voice of public service workers and move our union forward.  

At the AFSCME Volunteer Member Organizer Rise Up conference, VMOs from around the country attended skill-building training sessions and visited Nevada state employees to share the vision of improving the quality of public services and the lives of those who provide those services. 

LOS ANGELES — As fires burned in Northern and Southern California and the death toll continued to rise; as smoke engulfed nearby cities, prompting health warnings to stay indoors; and as survivors relocated to makeshift camps and hoped for the best, the best often

Pamela Knight, a child protective investigator with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Service (DCFS), was sent to check on the welfare of a child last fall. When she arrived at the child’s residence, the father viciously attacked her. She died months later as a result of the injuries she sustained during the attack.

What an election season! Oregon AFSCME members did over 700 volunteer shifts, knocking 10,000 doors and doing 50,000 contacts via phone/text! Thank you to all the incredible volunteers that made it possible! 

We wanted to highlight a few areas where we made big progress for working people: 

October 18th, 2018 marks the one year anniversary of the Lane County strike. On that cold sunny morning a year ago, over 500 employees decided to walk off the job after the County proposed increased healthcare costs that would result in pay cuts. For the next week, we were bolstered by the support of this community and fellow union members like our local firefighters and graduate teachers, who were amongst the first to join the picket lines.