Oregon

The Oregon legislature’s 2026 session adjourned on March 6, 2026. Several labor and employment law–related bills were proposed, and a handful of measures were enacted. Below is a summary of the key laws that Oregon employers should be aware of.

Oregon Court Clarifies That Asking for a Raise Is Protected by Wage Transparency Law In a clarification of Oregon’s wage transparency statute, the Oregon Court of Appeals has held that ORS 659A.355 protects an employee from retaliation for merely asking for a raise, even where no claim of pay inequi

Oregon made labor history in 2025 when Governor Tina Kotek signed Senate Bill 916, making Oregon the first state to extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to both public and private sector workers participating in strikes. We previewed this development last year, and the law took effect January

The Court of Appeals of the State of Oregon recently held in Trumper v. Women’s Healthcare Associates, LLC that an at-will employee could not bring a wrongful discharge claim where she did not challenge the lawfulness of her employer’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate and otherwise failed to identify a

The Court of Appeals of the State of Oregon recently held in Athena v. Pelican Brewing Co. that the pay required for meal periods lasting less than thirty minutes is considered a wage under Oregon law, rather than a penalty. This distinction provides for a private right of action for

Quick Hits Workplace Accommodations for Agricultural Workers (HB 2541) Governor Kotek signed House Bill (HB) 2541 into law on May 7, 2025. Under HB 2541, certain agricultural workers must now be provided with the same accommodations for the expression of breast milk during work hours that have been

Oregon recently enacted House Bill (HB) 2957 , which affects statutes of limitations in employment cases when individuals file a charge with Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). HB 2957 became effective on June 24, 2025.

Oregon law requires employers to provide employees with itemized wage statements on regular paydays. Such statements must include details, such as date of payment, dates of work covered, employee’s name, employer’s name and contact information, pay rates, gross and net wages, deductions, and hours w

Remand Rules: Oregon Supreme Court Clarifies What You Can Appeal On June 24, 2025, the Oregon Supreme Court held in Crosbie v. Asante that a trial court order of the scope of issues to be retried after reversal and remand cannot be immediately appealed. Background tgelbman@littler.com Mon, 06/30/202

The Court of Appeals of the State of Oregon recently clarified in Dailey v. University of Portland that under Oregon law, handbooks can form contracts unless there is a clear disclaimer. The court emphasized that conspicuous and unambiguous disclaimers can prevent statements in handbooks from becomi

On June 9, 2025, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 951 , which, among other things, will impose significant new limitations on restrictive covenants with healthcare practitioners relating to noncompetition, nondisparagement, and nondisclosure. The limitations may soon be mo

Oregon Enacts Landmark Law Making Owners and Contractors Liable for Subcontractor Wage Theft On June 9, 2025, Oregon enacted Senate Bill 426, a significant new law aimed at protecting construction workers from wage theft by imposing strict joint and several liability on both property owners and dire

Oregon Enacts Law Requiring Employers to Disclose Detailed Explanation of Payroll Codes, Itemized Deductions, and Pay Rates to Employees Upon Hire Oregon has added another detailed payroll documentation requirement for employers. Oregon law has long required employers to provide employees with detai

Oregon Expands Reasons Employees Can Use Paid Sick Leave to Include Blood Donation On May 28, 2025, Oregon’s governor signed SB 1108 , which, effective January 1, 2026, expands the reasons employees can use legally required paid sick leave to include blood donation connected with a voluntary program

Think Before You Ask: Oregon Cracks Down on Age-Related Hiring Questions and Increases Age Discrimination Protections for Apprentices Oregon is widely considered an employee-friendly state with a robust framework of statutes prohibiting various forms of discrimination and retaliation in employment.

Oregon Minimum Wage Increase Takes Effect July 1, 2025 On July 1, 2025, Oregon’s automatic minimum wage increase for non-exempt employees will take effect. Under Oregon state law, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) calculates an annual increase to the minimum wage rate based on the Bur

In January, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) announced a new minimum salary threshold for noncompetition agreements. Effective immediately, for an Oregon noncompetition agreement to be enforceable, the total amount of the employee’s annual gross salary and commissions at the time of

Paid Leave Oregon is a wage replacement benefit program administered by the Oregon Employment Department meant to compensate employees who need to take time off work to care for and bond with a child following the child’s birth or adoption, to recover from their own or a family member’s serious

On March 27, 2024, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed into law House Bill (HB) 4127 , which will impose notice and recordkeeping requirements on covered employers of certain warehouse workers when using quotas to measure worker productivity. The law becomes effective January 1, 2025.

If you have employees working in Oregon, chances are you have heard about Oregon’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program also known as Paid Leave Oregon (“PLO”). In addition to PLO, eligible Oregon employees may be entitled to leave under the Oregon Family Medical Leave Act (“OFLA”), Orego