Jobs and Economy

Recently an Oregon mother told me that "if child care crumbles, if it gets even a fraction more difficult to find, then our collective ability to work crumbles too." Finding quality care for her children was so time-consuming it felt like a second job.

Home care workers and consumers shared their daily lives with members of Congress to urge them to support a $400 billion investment in care that would make it easier for seniors and people with disabilities to get the care they need, and create good, union jobs for care workers. In Oregon, SEIU 503 members Gloria Arroyo Martínez and José Arroyo welcomed Rep.

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, whose 1st District includes Washington County, and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said their stopovers were a reminder that many people work on Labor Day, which honors workers. "We know there are so many people who are working on Labor Day," Bonamici, a Democrat from Beaverton, said.

"Most people think of Labor Day as a day to have a picnic or a day to shop a sale, but we know there are so many people who are working on Labor Day -- and its a way to say thank you to our first responders, and thank you so much," Rep. Bonamici said. TVF&R crews just wrapped up two training camps, aimed at recruiting women for firefighting and paramedic positions. Rep.

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici toured Portland Community College's Columbia County Center on Wednesday, Aug. 18. The new facility is home to PCC's OMIC Training Center, across the street from the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center facility operated by Oregon Institute of Technology.