PORTLAND, Ore. - Hospital workers in Portland are calling for action and holding vigils today to mark more than a year of struggle against COVID-19.

Members of the Oregon Nurses Association and SEIU Local 49 also want Legacy Health to finish negotiating contracts with their members. ONA and Local 49 are to hold a vigil this evening to honor those who lost their lives during the pandemic.

Christine Allen, a nurse at the Legacy Unity Center for Behavioral Health and vice-chair of ONA's bargaining team, said nurses feel their concerns aren't heard or suggestions aren't being incorporated in the workplace.

"There was instances around COVID-related things where that continued to happen between the nursing staff and Legacy leadership," she said. "So, it's a continuation of the ongoing problem, which is why we organized in the first place - to ensure that our voices are heard."

About 200 Oregon Nurses Association members at Legacy have been bargaining with management on an initial contract for more than a year. Allen noted that the changes due to COVID-19, such as virtual meetings rather than in-person, have prolonged the bargaining process.

Spokesperson Brian Terrett said Legacy Health has been "working collaboratively with union leadership to ensure employees are competitively and fairly compensated and have a safe work environment."

In addition to the vigil, SEIU Local 49 is holding an information picket for its 800 Legacy Emanuel Medical Center members in negotiations for their new contract for about seven months.

Sunita Patel cleans rooms on the environmental services team at Legacy Emanuel, where she's worked for 18 years. She said workers haven't received hazard pay during the pandemic, and she and her colleagues had their daily work shifts cut to seven-and-a-half hours "but we're doing the work of maybe 12 hours.

"I have 26 rooms in my unit, which is almost full every day - like there's overflow today, too," she said."We can't say to patients, 'Hey we can't clean your room.'"

A Legacy Health spokesman said the company "respects SEIU Local 49's right to engage in protected union activity."

Patel said two crucial parts of their contract are making sure health care is affordable and that workers receive pay raises.

The information picket will begin at 11 a.m. at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. The candlelight vigil will begin at 6 p.m. at the Unity Center for Behavioral Health.

Supporters of a new state-sponsored retirement savings program in Maine are celebrating a significant milestone.

More than six months after the launch of the Maine Retirement Investment Trust, or MERIT, enrolled employees have saved more than $1 million.

Alf Anderson, associate director for advocacy and outreach at AARP Maine, said the program was created to help the roughly 200,000 private sector workers without access to a retirement plan at their job.

"You know, one of the most important things for people as they plan for retirement," said Anderson, "is having that financial security to be able to do the things they want to do when they do get to that point in their lives. And so, that milestone was really exciting for us to see."

Anderson said businesses with at least five employees can register with MERIT to help set up savings for workers, who would otherwise seek out an independent financial planner.

More than 1,500 employers have already signed on.

Surveys show more than half of Americans are concerned they won't be able to achieve financial security in retirement.

At least 25 states introduced legislation last year to establish new, state-backed retirement plans.

Anderson said the successful rollout in Maine reveals the urgency people feel about planning for the future due to the high costs of food and housing.

"Do I cut back on my medications?" said Anderson. "Do I not eat a certain number of meals today? Like, it's really frightening to see some of the decisions people have to make."

Anderson said the pandemic didn't help - with even more Mainers facing depleted savings accounts and having only Social Security to fall back on when they reach retirement age.

State officials say MERIT could help Mainers for generations to come, and help reduce reliance on public assistance programs.

Members of the Service Employees' International Union start this week in the Portland area with new contracts for their work.

SEIU Local 49 members work as security officers and janitorial staff for some of the biggest employers in the Pacific Northwest.

The Portland team bargained for about a month and gained wage increases, additional paid leave, and health and safety improvements.

Renato Quintero, an SEIU member and a janitor at Intel, said they had to work hard to make these changes, but he thinks the effort was worthwhile.

"Those things are really useful for our work and for our family," said Quintero, "being able to have more money, and also time to enjoy our family life."

The new contracts will affect nearly two thousand workers in the Portland metro area. The union expects the wage increases to add $9 million to the local economy.

In addition to pay, union leaders say the new contracts come with a sense of recognition. They note people in these professions worked through the pandemic, and their jobs were considered essential.

Michael Lindsey, a union member and security officer with GardaWorld Security Services, said he sees these contracts as a step into the future.

"This is a new era for unions, especially coming out of the pandemic," said Lindsey, "and I'm excited to see what the next few years hold for us."

Lindsey predicted the new contracts will allow employees to focus on their jobs more. He said he also expects a decrease in staff turnover, which will result in an increase in staff experience.

Today is National Postal Workers Day, a celebration of the job they do to deliver the mail.

Postal workers provide a vital service, especially during big election years like 2024 and in states like Oregon where elections are conducted completely by mail.

Daniel Cortez, Oregon legislative and political director for the American Postal Workers Union, noted the critical role his colleagues play.

"Whether it be America's election mail or letters from grandparents, care packages to our service members overseas, vital prescriptions for our seniors and veterans," Cortez outlined. "It's important to remember that all of that happens because of the dedication of the postal workers day in and day out."

The United States Postal Service was established by Benjamin Franklin on July 26, 1775.

The Postal Service is currently experiencing a shake-up. Trump-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is implementing his 10-year Delivering For America plan to modernize the Postal Service's network. It is meant job eliminations and sorting center cuts Cortez argued have hurt mail delivery. For instance, he pointed out sorting in Oregon has been consolidated to one center in Portland.

"It's imperative that the American people know that this slowdown is manufactured by the Postal Service," Cortez contended. "Everything from failure to properly staff offices to just deliberately slowing down how fast mail moves."

DeJoy has remained in office under President Joe Biden because only the Postal Board of Governors can oust him. Biden has delayed nominations for the board, delaying any potential change in leadership at the Postal Service.