Aug. 26 Oregon grocery store workers strike over gender pay gap and low wages
Oregon and southwest Washington grocery store workers joined the United Food and Commercial Workers to vote on behalf of over 20,000 workers to approve a strike at Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Safeway and QFC stores over low wages and a gender pay gap. The vote joins the approximately 10,000 Portland-area grocery workers who authorized a strike last month. The union has alleged that while women are placed in more leadership positions, they are paid less than their male counterparts. The strike will not take place unless the union calls for one.
Aug. 28 Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler considers new fossil fuel regulations
The Mayor’s officer has released proposals that would restrict the activities of petroleum companies in Portland after health and safety concerns were raised. Written by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, the proposals provide brief outlines on banning the storage of fossil fuels and a tax on the shipment of petroleum to create an environmental remediation fund, as well as increasing earthquake safety standards for fuel storage tanks. The timeline states that the proposals will be put into action between October 2019 and January 2020.
Aug. 29 Multnomah County commissioners cut $2.6 million in public safety
Due to reduced funding, the Multnomah County commissioners have cut $2.6 million from the Department of Community Justice for this fiscal year, eliminating 19 full-time positions including probation officers and corrections counselors. The cut could mean less supervision for offenders, fewer treatment services offered and increased incarceration rates. The commissioners blame state lawmakers for ignoring a state Department of Corrections study that showed a $50 million gap between state funding and the cost of providing correction services. The commissioner’s office also said they planned to lobby to restore the funds in 2020.
Aug. 29 Phishing attack on Oregon Judicial Department
Large-scale phishing attacks on five Oregon Judicial Department Outlook user accounts in July have caused the private information of 6,607 people to be compromised, according to the Statesman Journal. The department has since had to send out notices and credit monitoring services as the exposed information includes names, dates of birth, financial information, health information and social security numbers. According to the Judicial Department, the breach has been reported to law enforcement agencies.
