OREGON: Governor signs more 2011 employment bills

HB 2034 gives the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) greater involvement in regulating apprenticeship programs. It also limits the length of the apprentice’s probationary period, so that it is up to one year or 25 percent of the length of the program. Effective May 27, 2011. HB 2039 gives BOLI the power…

OREGON: Governor signs bills on veterans discrimination and jury duty

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OREGON: Lack of documentation sends employer to gender discrimination trial

If you encounter this kind of situation, there may be a way to accommodate both workers, depending on scheduling flexibility, the size and geography of your workplace and the terms of the restraining order. You may also have an obligation to grant time off for an employee to seek a…

Employee Benefits

OREGON: Adult child health coverage tax-free

If you have employees who cover their non-dependent adult children on your health insurance program, that coverage is now tax-free at the state level, thanks to legislation signed into law on March 9, 2011 (

OREGON: Discipline following harassment complaint is always risky

Firing an employee just two days after he’s complained of sexual harassment is still a surefire way to get sued, as a recent Ninth Circuit case out of Oregon reaffirmed. A production worker for Entek International claimed to be the victim of harassment on the basis of his sexual orientation. When the…

OREGON: Participation in sexual jokes doesn’t preclude sexual harassment claim

A Wasco County employee can proceed with her sexual harassment complaint against the Chief Deputy Sheriff, despite the fact that she once flashed a coworker and participated in occasional joking of a sexual nature. The employee complained that the Sheriff repeatedly told her she smelled good, called her sweetie, rubbed…

Wage and Hour

OREGON: Insufficient notice of wage claim gets employer off the hook

Failing to pay an employee about $840 in wages nearly cost one employer an additional $16,000 for the employee’s attorney’s fees, until the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s award. To collect damages and attorney’s fees, Oregon law requires an employee to notify their employer about the potential wage claim, giving the…

Wage and Hour

OREGON: BOLI finalizes meal period and overtime rules

final rules contain three main changes:written comments that the new language could have the unintended consequence of requiring employers not merely to pay for the actual meal period, but to pay for a guaranteed 30 minutes of meal time on top of the actual hours worked. Although BOLI stuck with…

Hiring

OREGON: Final credit check rules released

published by the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). Unfortunately, the final rules provide very little guidance, other than to give an extremely limited definition of when a credit history is “substantially job-related.” The new rules make it clear that ordinary retail transactions (exchanging cash, checks, credit card numbers or debit card…

OREGON: Gag rule challenge thrown out of court

SB 519), which Vigilant reported on back in January, has been dismissed by a federal court on a technicality. Earlier this year, two business groups filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Oregon’s recently enacted law that prohibits employers from taking employment action against employees who refuse to attend mandatory meetings where the…