What is the Oregon Working Families Party?

The Oregon Working Families Party is building an Oregon that works for all of us, not just the wealthy and well connected.
How do we build political power for working people?

The Oregon Working Families Party is a minor political party that uses fusion voting, which allows us to cross-nominate candidates from major parties if they support our values and our issues. If not, we can run our own candidates, but we prefer not to be spoilers or to waste your vote.
What does it mean when you see "Working Families" next to a candidate's name?

It means you know that they have our seal of approval -- and you can vote for them with the confidence that they will do the best job of fighting for working people.

Our platform

A Democracy that Works for the 99%

We vigorously fight any efforts to suppress voters. We must eliminate the ability of wealthy donors and corporations to buy politicians and protect the integrity of our voting system from all threats, foreign and domestic.

Quality, Free Education

Quality education is the backbone of any society. We must make public pre-K- 12 a priority again and eliminate schemes that siphon public funds from the public system. Higher education, including trade schools, public colleges, and universities must all be tuition free. From universal preschool to higher education -- including trade schools, public colleges, and universities – all must be tuition free.

Creating a State Bank

We don’t need billionaire bankers. We need a state owned bank to support small businesses and family farms and keep Oregon’s money in Oregon.

Building Worker Power

We demand fair rules and legislation that strengthen unions and create fair working conditions for everyone. We encourage all workers to form or join unions and bargain collectively to determine their terms and conditions of employment. We must restore the right to strike.

Fixing our Broken Criminal Justice System

We demand an end to mass incarceration and the for-profit prison system. We oppose minimum sentencing requirements that have resulted in the world’s largest prison population. We demand accountability for police misconduct. We also must end forced arbitration schemes used to shield the abuse of corporations.

Fair Trade, Fair Economy

We need trade rules that build strong economies among all trading partners, that enable enforcement of domestic labor and environmental laws, and that regulate and tax global capital. We fight for a just transition away from the global fossil fuel economy that guarantees working families sustainable livelihoods for generations to come.

HealthCare and Housing for Everyone

Healthcare and quality housing are human rights. We have an obligation to be certain that everyone has a decent place to live, access to health care, clean air, and clean water It’s long past time for us to join the rest of the world by establishing improved and expanded Medicare for all.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Our party stands for fair comprehensive immigration reform that realigns legal immigration standards to reflect today’s conditions, a system not based on race. The two decades old experiment called ICE has failed; it’s time to eliminate ICE.

Tax the Rich

It’s high time that wealthy individuals and corporations pay their fair share of taxes. Their greed impacts every aspect of our lives. We must reestablish the tax rates of the 1950’s and 60’s when our country built a strong middle class and the infrastructure necessary for a strong economy.