Story and photos by Pete Shaw The contract being offered to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) by the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers Association (PNGHA) has little effect on wages, but seeks vast changes to workplace rules, particularly those dealing with hiring and safety. Though the contract signing deadline of November 28 has been…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw Banging pots and pans and getting the support of passing cars honking horns, 160 supporters of workers from the Fund for Public Interest, the paid fundraisers for OSPIRG and Environment Oregon, marched along SE Grand and Morrison on November 14th, demanding employees be treated with dignity and respect. Fifteen…
By Pete Shaw In this campaign season, as candidates and a compliant corporate media again do everything possible to avoid real policy issues, it is guaranteed that, in lieu of substantive discussion, every stump speech will trumpet assurances that we are the greatest nation since Sliced Breadistan. So here’s a quick question: what is the…
By Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer The International Association of Machinists just succeeded in negotiating a humiliating defeat with Caterpillar after a 15-week strike. Workers lost considerable money by striking, and then lost even more with the new contract, accepting almost every concession the company demanded despite the fact that the company was sitting on…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw In coordination with actions in 11 other US cities, and in the spirit of the one-year anniversary of the Occupy movement, over 100 people gathered in Portland on September 17 to demand justice for General Motors workers on hunger strike in Columbia. “The fact that General Motors is firing…
By Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer Many crucial issues are at stake in the Chicago Teachers Union strike. But the school district’s insistence that student test scores constitute a major basis of teacher evaluations seems to have become a particularly contentious point, leading to the vilification of teachers by the mainstream media, particularly The New…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw Lunch time in the Summer is usually a festive occasion at Pioneer Square. People take to the tables or bricks with their brown bags or a hot dog bought at a nearby cart and there is often some kind of music scene going down. Wednesday August 15th was no…
This story originally appeared at the Occupied Chicago Tribune. By Nick Burt News of the Chicago Teachers Union’s declaration of a ten-day strike notice spread across the city’s evening news broadcasts Wednesday. As Chicagoans prepared for the first schools shutdown in twenty-five years, hundreds rallied at the downtown Chicago Temple to build community support for the prospective teacher…
By Shamus Cooke The Great Recession and its possible continuance has brought the issue of privatization to the forefront of American politics. But most Americans aren’t even aware that this debate is happening, because the media and politicians aren’t using the word “privatization”. Instead, less threatening substitutes are used to ram through a corporate…
Story and photos by Pete Shaw “Protecting a competitive race to the lowest wages is crucial,” said Tom Chamberlain, President of the Oregon AFL-CIO. After a confused pause, Chamberlain restated himself, replacing “protecting” with “preventing.” It was a slightly awkward moment at this strange gathering billed as a “Listening Session on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)”.…
