AFSCME 189 hosts political reception
About 100 union members from the City of Portland turned out for a political reception March 30 at the Madeleine School in Northeast Portland. The event featured City Commissioners Randy Leonard (left greeting a member), Jim Francesconi, and City Council candidate Nick Fish. All three candidates have been endorsed by AFSCME Local 189 and other city workers unions that make up the District Council of Trade Unions.

Labor defends worker felled by insect spray
High up in a guard tower at a remote Eastern Oregon prison, corrections officer Cliff Watts complained about wasps ... and ended up spending the next several hours basting in the pesticide phenothrin.
State of Oregon outsourcing jobs to India
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski reportedly was shocked to learn earlier this month that Oregon’s Department of Human Services uses a contractor that pays call centers in India to respond to questions from food stamp recipients.
Oregon Investment Council takes pro-worker stance
The Oregon Investment Council, which manages $44 billion in public employee retirement funds, voted March 31 to use tougher standards for corporate responsibility when exercising its voting rights as a corporate shareholder.