News

Salem, OR — For the third consecutive bargaining cycle, Oregon state workers represented by Oregon AFSCME have called on state leadership to honor Indigenous People’s Day with a paid holiday.

When Alyssa Ledesma first joined Oregon AFSCME Local 328, she did it on the advice of a colleague, without knowing how helpful having a union can be.

In Oregon, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the state agency responsible for restoring and maintaining the quality of our air, land, and water.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Citing job security and OHSU’s long term plans for supporting research, a strong majority of the over 2,000 eligible biomedical research workers at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU submitted union authorization cards with the Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB) on Friday, April 26th.

In a significant step towards ensuring equitable healthcare access for all Oregonians, Governor Kotek has signed SB 1578 into law. This legislation will establish a statewide portal that enables individuals on state-funded healthcare plans to seamlessly access certified health care interpreters.

The last few years have seen a rise in worker momentum, with unionized workers raising their voices to demand higher pay, safer working conditions and more.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders praised the White House’s announcement Thursday that the Biden administration will forgive student loans for an additional 78,000 borrowers — including many AFSCME members — under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders congratulated Nicole Berner, a longtime labor lawyer and general counsel of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), on being confirmed to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Mr. Montoya goes to Washington

Photo: Nicholas Voutsinos/ AFSCME

In this year’s State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden highlighted his administration’s achievements over the past three years and vowed to continue fighting for working people.

AFSCME applauds his accomplishments and strongly supports the Biden-Harris administration’s vision for the future, which includes defending our nation’s democracy, protecting a woman’s right to choose and making the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes, among other things.