On Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority sent a helpful reminder about a little-publicized benefit available to eligible Oregon employees in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: temporary paid leave funded by the State...more
As many of you know, in 2019 the Oregon Legislature passed (and Governor Brown signed) HB 2005, which creates a Paid Family and Medical Leave program for Oregon employees....more
On April 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued regulations for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), which went into effect the same day. ...more
Current Oregon law grants two important rights to manufacturing employees: (1) they are entitled to overtime pay if they work more than 10 hours in a single work day; and (2) they may not work more than 55 hours in a workweek...more
In the wake of an onslaught of employee complaints about social distancing in the workplace, the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OR-OSHA”) announced that it would begin workplace inspections in order to...more
4/1/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Brown ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Investigations ,
Workplace Safety
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) requires private companies with fewer than 500 employees, along with most public employers regardless of size, to post a notice summarizing the benefits available under...more
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) announced yesterday that all currently scheduled representation elections – including vote-by-mail elections—have been postponed until at least April 3, 2020 because of the ongoing...more
Through a series of decisions issued in late 2019, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) has signaled a return to common sense in its approach to the rules governing labor relations. Here are a few of the...more
3/3/2020
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Confidentiality Policies ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Rules ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Quickie Election Rules ,
Section 7 ,
Unions ,
Workplace Investigations
Oregon’s Legislature just enacted the most significant legislation for Oregon employers in years. The new Workplace Fairness Act has been hailed as a #MeToo law and seems intended to curb incidents of sexual harassment in the...more
6/19/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Golden Parachutes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws
As we blogged about recently, the U.S. Supreme Court recently held in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, No. 16-285 (U.S. May 21, 2018) (consolidated cases), that employment agreements that require employees to individually...more
It might appear that on some years, the National Labor Relations Board (the Board) issues a series of decisions just as the year comes to a close, but it is not because the Board wants to give out holiday presents (or, from...more
Employers know that the salary rule for “white collar” exemptions from President Obama’s Department of Labor (“DOL”) was blocked by a federal court last year (we blogged about that here). That rule would have more than...more
OSHA Seeks to Reverse Beryllium Rule For Certain Industries
Beryllium, a lightweight metal, presents hazards in the workplace. It is has been linked to lung cancer and Chronic Beryllium Disease, a debilitating lung disease...more
Following are a couple of significant new OSHA developments for all safety professionals to be aware of, relating to limitations for OSHA citations and validity of OSHA interpretation letters....more
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced late last week that it was rescinding its 2013 “Fairfax” memorandum, which allowed union representatives to participate in workplace safety...more
Oregon manufacturing employers have been following the ongoing turmoil surrounding the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries’ (“BOLI”) recent interpretation of Oregon’s requirement that manufacturing employees receive...more
The Ninth Circuit released a precedent-setting Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) decision yesterday, and it’s a big win for employers. The Court held that an employee who makes “serious and credible threats of violence...more
As anticipated, on December 12, 2014 the NLRB announced that the final “Quickie” Election Rule will be published in the Federal Register on December 15, 2014 and will take effect on April 14, 2015. Among other changes, the...more