Labor unions are much stronger in Oregon than nationally

Thousands of union members will gather Monday at Oaks Park in Southeast Portland for the Northwest Oregon Labor Council’s annual Labor Day picnic, an annual event that showcases the strength of the state’s labor movement — even as union membership has been in steady decline nationally.

Nearly 300,000 Oregon workers belong to a union, according to federal data, about 1 in 6 workers statewide. Union membership rates have fluctuated since the 1980s but have gradually increased over the past two decades.

By comparison, the share of workers nationally who belong to a union has fallen by almost half since 1986. Fewer than 1 in 10 American workers were union members last year. That’s according to data compiled by unionstats.com, a research site maintained by three university professors.

Oregon is a progressive state led by a Democratic Party that has historically been friendly to unions. The Labor Day picnic is a key stop every year for ambitious politicians looking to establish their bona fides with the unions.

Unions won a major victory during this year’s legislative session, with lawmakers approving a bill that allows striking workers to collect 10 weeks of unemployment insurance payments. Only a few other states grant jobless benefits to striking workers, and this year’s bill made Oregon the only state that pays benefits to workers on strike in both the private and public sectors.

The state’s labor movement is concentrated in the public sector, where about half of all workers belong to unions. Fewer than 10% of Oregon’s private-sector workers are unionized, down from 14% in 1986.

Oregon’s unions have flexed their muscles repeatedly in recent months, with a series of high-profile strikes and major new contracts.

Fred Meyer and QFC grocery workers won a new contract last October after protracted negotiations, which included a six-day strike by Fred Meyer workers in August 2024. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 didn’t disclose terms of their new deal but said it included “the most significant wage increase” for grocery workers in the region’s history.

Boeing machinists in Washington and Oregon went on strike for seven weeks last fall, ultimately winning a contract that will boost wages by 38% over four years.

Employees at New Seasons Market went on strike for nine days in February as employees and the chain clashed over an employee’s firing and protracted efforts to negotiate their first contract. They’re still working on it.

About 5,000 Providence nurses walked out this past January at eight Oregon hospitals and six clinics. The strike lasted for nearly seven weeks, ending in February with a deal that provided wages and some assurances around hospital staffing levels.

And the biggest unions representing Oregon state employees won a new contract this month, which includes cost-of-living increases and a new pay classification for long-serving employees, without going on strike.

This is Oregon Insight, The Oregonian’s weekly look at the numbers behind the state’s economy. View past installments here.

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