The Oregon Labor Dispatch: March 20, 2026
SUPPORT WORKERS
PCC is refusing to offer above a 1% cost-of-living adjustment for the employees that make the college run. Join the picket line or make a donation to support their fight.
Support TSA Workers
Support TSA workers who are working without pay during the government shutdown!
You can drop off donations at the PDX Airport main terminal. Items to donate include:
Non-perishable food
Household essentials
Gift cards for $25 or less for groceries or gas
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Oregon AFSCME Organizer in Training
Duration: 3-6 months
Location: Hybrid — Portland, Salem, Eugene (split time 50/50)
Compensation: $25/hr | Part time & Full time available
How to apply: Please send your resume and a cover letter explaining what you would like to
get out of this program by 5pm on March 29th. Please send materials to Odalis Aguilar at
oaguilar@oregonafscme.org with the subject line “OR AFSCME OIT 2026”
UPCOMING EVENTS
Labor Movie Night: Norma Rae
March 20th at 5:30 pm
Oregon AFL-CIO Main Hall, 3645 SE 32nd Ave, Portland
Presented by IBEW 48 S.A.F.E. Subcommittee for Labor History
No Kings Neighbors & Labor Rally/March
March 28th at 10am
NEXT WEEKEND: Oregon labor will stand united to defend democracy. Join us at the Portland No Kings Neighbors & Labor Rally/March on March 28 at 10am.
Union Labor United: Working Class Solidarity & Direct Action Safety Training
March 26th at 6pm on Zoom
This training will prepare union members and community organizers with the skills to build solidarity, use strategic noncooperation, and plan collective action safely. Participants learn how working people can unite across differences, challenge concentrated power, and take coordinated action while prioritizing safety, de-escalation, and responsible organizing.
MUST READ
March 18, 2026 | Oregonian
Oregon farmworker union Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, also known as PCUN, issued a statement Wednesday condemning the “harmful actions” of revered farm labor leader César E. Chávez after sexual abuse allegations against him surfaced this week.
March 18, 2026 | Business Insider
Since the government shutdown, Sharre Quick, a Transportation Security Administration agent in Nevada, has been forced to continue working for very little pay.
OREGON LABOR NEWS
Labor advocates ask University of Oregon to give two former union leaders their jobs back
March 18, 2026 | KLCC
Labor advocates are asking the University of Oregon to give two former union leaders their jobs back.
Historic Portland Community College strike hits second week
March 18, 2026 | KGW 8
It's been almost a week since faculty and staff went on strike at four Portland Community College campuses. It's the first strike in the school's history and the first time a community college has gone on strike in the state's history.
FEDERAL ATTACKS
DOGE used ChatGPT to cut humanities grants, affecting Oregon researchers and museums
March 17, 2026 | KGW 8
Depositions released as part of a federal lawsuit reveal that employees from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency used brief ChatGPT prompts to slash more than a thousand National Endowment for the Humanities grants last spring, wiping out funding for research projects and cultural institutions across Oregon and the country.
Everything to know about the SAVE America Act voter ID-bill
March 17, 2026 | CNBC
The SAVE America Act is a top priority for President Donald Trump that he has been mentioning at every opportunity — in appearances before reporters in the Oval Office, at campaign-style rallies in rooms full of supporters and in musings on his Truth Social platform.
ATTACKS ON IMMIGRANTS
New federal data reveals extent of immigration arrests in Oregon, Washington
March 12, 2026 | Oregonian
The Pacific Northwest last year saw a near historic increase in immigration arrests, with a significant spike in Oregon toward the end of 2025, according to new data made public this week.