Thousands rally and march for “jobs and benefits, not cuts” in Portland

Mahlon Mitchell marches with Portland Firefighters and heroes - Click on photo above to see slide show.

A crowd of demonstrators estimated at 2,500 people by Willamette Week rallied in Pioneer Square and marched through downtown Portland April 16, protesting cuts to public services and nationwide attacks on unions and demanding greater job-creation through a massive federal public works program.

The demonstration, “Portland Rising,” was organized by Portland Jobs with Justice with lots of help from other organizations and individuals and co-sponsored by some 60 local unions, faith-based organizations and progressive groups.

In attendance were state Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, state Rep. Brad Witt, Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz and a representative from the office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley.

At the rally, Bob Tackett, Executive Secretary Treasurer of the Northwest Oregon Central Labor Council and Shannon Walker, president of the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council warmed up a packed Pioneer Square.

Barbara Dudley, Working Families Party leader and Workers’ Rights Board member, spoke about how working people’s rights have been trampled by corporations for the last 35 years and how democracy itself is now on the chopping block.

Wisconsin's Mahlon Mitchell

With much excitement, the featured speaker, Mahlon Mitchell, took the stage. Mitchell, the president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, is on a national speaking tour after participating in the highly publicized protests against the anti-union bill the Wisconsin state legislature passed last month. After leading the crowd in chants, he told them current attempts to weaken unions in several states represent a watershed moment for labor that could re-energize the movement.  

Heroes fire up crowd

Following Mahlon’s address, rank and file “heroes” from labor campaigns and the community roused the crowd with short stories of their struggles – each punctuated by the chant “Good Jobs for All!”.  With each successive speaker, the crowd pumped up the volume paving the way for a rousing march.

When asked why the speakers were referred to as heroes, Margaret Butler of Jobs with Justice explained, “We need to get away from the idea that someone will ride in on a white horse and save the working class from the ravages of the corporate elite.  Those on the stage are the real heroes – In fact, we are all heroes and we are the ones who will make the change we desperately need!”

March to Terry Shrunk

After hearing from the heroes, demonstrators streamed out of the square and looped through downtown. The procession paused in front of the Hilton Hotel to show solidarity with workers from 10 different labor campaigns whose contracts expire around June 30.  Workers at the Hilton, represented by UNITE HERE, are one such group.

The procession then made a stop at the U.S. Bancorp Tower where marchers were greeted by chanting activists from the Climate Justice feeder march.   Marchers stopped at the Tower to protest fees that U.S. Bank charges users of its Reliacard, which unemployment benefit recipients use to access their payments.  

The march ended at Terry Shrunk Plaza where the crowd heard from Leonard Fearn, AFGE, who talked about the harmful cuts at the federal level and Toby Green, Laborers 483, who called for a 21st  century New Deal with massive job creation and an emphasis on green jobs.

According to the organizers, the Portland Rising campaign is ongoing – and will continue to lift up labor struggles and the fight for good jobs for all and strengthening the safety net.

For more information about the rally and march, contact Portland Jobs with Justice organizer Chris Ferlazzo at (503) 236-5573 or chris@jwjpdx.org.