The Oregon Labor Dispatch: JULY 30, 2026
Support Workers
OWLL + LiUNA Women@Work Hygiene Drive
Oregon Women Labor Leaders, in partnership with LiUNA 737's Women@Work, is holding a feminine hygiene product drive to benefit Good Circumstance, a new organization whose mission is to provide a safe community space for marginalized women. Please drop off new, unopened boxes of feminine hygiene supplies by July 31st to the Oregon Labor Center, 3645 SE 32nd Ave., Portland.
Learn more about Good Circumstance at www.goodcircumstance.org.
Protect Workers from Extreme Heat
Extreme heat has engulfed the nation, with cities coast to coast breaking all-time heat records this summer. But while workers continue to face dangerous and potentially deadly working conditions, anti-worker leaders in Congress are quietly attempting to stop any heat safety protection laws from being passed, now or in the future.
Tell Congress to protect workers from heat—and not block heat safety protections. Dial 844-937-2517 or fill out the form on this page to make a call.
Upcoming Events
Rally to Support Oregon Trail Electric Co-op Workers
Aug. 6 at 6pm at 4005 23rd Street, Baker City, OR
IBEW Local 125 workers at OTEC are planning rally to demand a fair contract at the upcoming board meetings.
Rally to Demand Fairness and Justice at Legacy Meridian Park
August 12, 2026, 5:30pm at Legacy Meridian Park
Legacy Meridian Park Techs have been working for months to win a fair contract that recognizes the critical care they provide every day. Despite our commitment to reaching an agreement, Legacy continues to delay progress and has failed to offer the improvements workers deserve.
Must Read
Hundreds of firefighters transform Madras into the front line of the Bench fire
July 30, 2026 | Oregonian
As the sun set into a smoke-choked sky across Jefferson County on Wednesday night, hundreds of firefighters packed the parking lot of Madras High School, the epicenter of the battle to douse the raging 60,000-acre Bench fire burning on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
7 Oregon counties under air quality advisory as fires continue
July 24, 2026 | The Statesman Journal
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has extended an air quality advisory in seven counties as multiple wildfires are causing smoky skies in the state. DEQ expects poor air quality through at least the afternoon of July 27 in Baker, Crook, Grant, Jefferson, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler counties.
Oregon Labor News
Daimler Truck will shut Portland factory, lay off 375 and move production to the East Coast
July 29, 2026 | Oregonian
Daimler Truck North America told employees Wednesday it’s shutting down its Freightliner and Western Star production lines on Swan Island this fall and moving that work to factories in North and South Carolina. The company will lay off 375, some of whom have been making trucks in Portland for decades.
PGE system operators in Tualatin warn of possible strike
July 28, 2026 | Your Oregon News
The union representing 30 system operators who monitor and manage the flow of electricity throughout Portland General Electric’s power grid are threatening to strike if a contract is not settled soon.
City of Eugene seeks mediation in contract negotiations with AFSCME union
July 29, 2026 | Lookout Eugene-Springfield
The city of Eugene and the union representing more than 650 city employees are headed to mediation after months of contract negotiations. The city notified leaders of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1724 on Monday, July 27, that it would request mediation through the Oregon Employment Relations Board.
Federal NEWS
July 29, 2026 | Economic Policy Institute
On June 9, the Republican majority on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved a 2027 budget that slashes funding for worker protection agencies.
The Trump administration's move to end subsidies for Medicare drug plans could cost consumers
The Trump administration is ending subsidies that helped keep costs down for Medicare drug coverage. The change could mean higher Medicare Part D premiums for millions of beneficiaries in 2027.