Articles Discussing General Topics In Oregon Labor & Employment Law.

Oregon voters approved two groundbreaking measures in the 2020 election season to become the first state in the nation to decriminalize personal possession of small amounts of certain controlled substances (Measure 110) and legalize the therapeutic usage of psilocybin in a controlled therapy setting (Measure 109). Many employers may be

Oregon voters approved two groundbreaking measures in the 2020 election season to become the first state in the nation to decriminalize personal possession of small amounts of certain controlled substances (Measure 110) and legalize the therapeutic usage of psilocybin in a controlled therapy setting (Measure 109). Many employers may be

Stepping in line behind Virginia and Michigan, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“Oregon OSHA”) issued a Temporary Rule Addressing COVID-19 Workplace Risks (“Temporary Rule”) requiring Oregon employers to take certain actions in response to potential workplace exposures to coronavirus (“COVID-19”). Some provisions of Oregon OSHA’s temporary rule go

On Friday, November 6, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OR-OSHA) released the final Temporary Rule Addressing COVID-19 Workplace Risks. The Rule takes effect November 16, 2020, and requires all employers operating in Oregon to comply with a number of COVID-19-related mandatory health and safety standards.

In September 2020, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) made permanent a previously-issued temporary rule expanding the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) to include the need to care for a child whose school or child care provider has closed as a result of a statewide public health

As circumstances from the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic continue to evolve, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) has maintained reliance on Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSH Act”), known as the General Duty Clause, and current standards to address workplace exposures to COVID-19.

Rather than

In the summer of 2019, Oregon enacted the Oregon Workplace Fairness Act (SB 726), which imposed sweeping new requirements on Oregon employers in response to the #MeToo movement. Although some of the law’s provisions took effect in September 2019, the remaining provisions take effect on October 1, 2020. Oregon employers

On September 9, 2020, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued Executive Order No. 20-41 invoking the Emergency Conflagration Act Statewide in light of extreme fire danger. Governor Brown’s invocation of the Emergency Conflagration Act remains in effect until at least November 1, 2020, as wildfires continue to rage. More than 1

Two important provisions of the Workplace Fairness Act (WFA), which limits employers’ use of nondisclosure and nondisparagement to prevent a current or prospective employee from discussing employment discrimination or sexual assault, requires all employers to have an anti-discrimination policy with certain disclosures in place, and increases the statute of limitations to file a discrimination complaint from one to five years, will take effect on October 1, 2020.

The final provisions of Oregon’s Workplace Fairness Act (OWFA) go into effect on October 1, 2020—less than a month away. All employers doing business in Oregon will need to make changes to their harassment policies and settlement, severance, and separation agreements to be compliant with the OWFA.  Below are

On August 17, 2020, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Oregon OSHA), the state plan responsible for overseeing workplace safety and health in the state of Oregon, released a draft COVID-19 temporary standard. Following Virginia’s lead, Oregon will become the second state in the nation to adopt a specific

Oregon employers received a temporary easing of the weekly work hour limits on manufacturing employees to address the emergency created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

On March 23, 2020, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued an Executive Order requiring all individuals to stay home to the maximum extent possible, prohibiting all non-essential social and recreational gatherings, limiting travel, and closing certain retail, childcare and other service-oriented businesses. While not a full shelter-in-place order as implemented in other states, Executive Order 20-12 also requires all businesses and non-profits with offices in Oregon to implement telework procedures to the maximum extent or to impose other workplace restrictions to enable social distancing.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown has issued Executive Order No. 20-12, partially restricting social and recreational activities, closing certain businesses, and requiring social distancing or work from home at other businesses.

Given the continued spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and its implications, employers are confronting difficult questions regarding how to handle safety and health rules, travel restrictions, privacy of employees’ health information, compensation, and other employment and labor issues. There are many resources available on the numerous national (and international) issues to consider in this crisis. Our extensive Littler guidance is available here, and those materials broadly address topics such as preventative measures, what to do if an employee tests positive, and general considerations for furloughs and wage and hour law.