History of LCSA

Since 1946, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and United Way have shared objectives for the greater good of our communities and worked together to achieve them. In local affirmation of these principles, Labor's Community Service Agency in Portland, Oregon was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit community partnership program of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette on July 5, 1974.  Then-Executive Director, E.R. “Del” Ricks, had this to say about the newly formed Agency:

“Our programs are designed to make our membership community-minded and also directly benefit the community. By involving officers and members of organized labor in the problems of society and the community, we utilize a vast resource of knowledge, experience, and expertise with a willingness to work toward a beneficial solution.”

Over the years, United Way funding and support has allowed the Agency to apply those time-honored objectives to the many health and human service programs provided:  Union Counselor courses (now Resource Navigator training), food drives, blood drives, ex-offender job placement, the Project Bridge foster home program, Seafarers apprenticeship testing, community family dinner nights, emergency assistance (now Helping Hands), holiday meals, Labor in the Pulpits, the Presents from Partners toy drive and distribution program and so much more.

Ten years after the Agency's inception, the overall mission was enhanced by the award of dislocated worker pilot program funds to provide outreach and pre-layoff services, in partnership with local community colleges, the Oregon unemployment administration, and State and local agencies, to Union represented companies and their workers facing job loss. Since that time, Labor's Community has contracted for state and federal workforce funds to provide Labor Liaisons, Peer Advocates, and pre-layoff "Rapid Response and Early Intervention Services" for tens of thousands of workers throughout the Portland Metro region. Funding for these services is currently through a contract with Worksystems, Inc., our regional workforce development coordinator.

Beneath these many years of service to the community, a strong current of Local Labor support faithfully lifts and carries the Agency through every program and service offered. Local Unions, Union leaders, staff and members alike generously invest their time and donations into Labor's own charitable community service agency. The old United Way labor campaign slogan, "Labor Cares - Labor Shares" is as relevant today as it has been for over forty years, and we are proud to carry that tradition into the future.