Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar on Taming the COVID-19 Chaos, Part 6—Bringing Employees Back to Work. If you missed it, be on the lookout for details on future webinars to help employers navigate these challenging times.
We received some questions about whether employees can continue to use FFCRA leave after the end
On March 18, 2020, Oregon issued temporary rules to help employees impacted by COVID-19. The Oregon Employment Department issued temporary rules expanding the availability of unemployment insurance to those impacted by COVID-19, while the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (“BOLI”) issued a temporary rule expanding the availability of the Oregon Family Leave Act (“OFLA”) to parents whose children are impacted by school or day-care closures.
Continue Reading Changes to Oregon Unemployment Insurance and Oregon Family Leave Act in Light of COVID-19
On March 18, 2020, the Senate passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, (the “Act”), which was passed by the House last week. President Trump swiftly signed the legislation, which is effective in 15 days. All public employers and private employers with under 500 employees are covered by the Act, which provides for emergency paid family and medical leave as well as emergency paid sick leave, among other provisions including changes to unemployment insurance and food and nutrition benefits.
Much of the final Act tracks the bill originally enacted in the House (discussed here), but there are some significant changes. Below we summarize the key important provisions of the Act as passed by Congress that relate to paid leave.
Continue Reading Congress Passes Legislation to Provide Paid Leave to Employees During COVID-19 Emergency
We are continuing to monitor developing issues facing employers due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The latest is from Congress.
On March 13, the US House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, (the “Act”) to provide for emergency paid sick and family and medical leave for some employees around the country. Public agencies and employers with fewer than 500 employees are covered by the Act, and can apply for tax credits each quarter to recoup payments made under the Act.
Please note that the Act has not gone into effect yet and is not final. The Senate must also pass the Act before it becomes effective, and the Senate is likely to make changes. Subject to those changes, below is a summary of the important items for employers to know about the Act in its current state.
Emergency Family and Medical Leave
Employees are eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave under the Act if they have worked for an employer for at least 30 days, and are absent from work for one of the following reasons:
Continue Reading House of Representatives Takes Steps to Provide Paid Leave to Employees Absent due to COVID-19; Senate Must Still Act
We continue to stay up to speed on workplace-related legal issues as we all navigate this challenging time. Many of you attended the webinar we put on today, Taming the COVID-19 Chaos: What Employers Need to Know. The materials from that presentation are available here. Please join us for another webinar next Wednesday, March
With COVID-19 (coronavirus) impacting communities in the Northwest and around the U.S. and world, employers are wondering what role they can play in keeping their employees safe and healthy. Don’t panic! Your current policies and practices are probably sufficient to handle any issues that may affect your workplace. But here are some general recommendations. (See
Starting in 2023, Oregon employers with at least 25 employees must provide eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of paid leave for a covered purpose (family, medical, or “safe” leave). The program will be funded with payroll contributions (40% employer/60% employee), the amount of which depends on an employee’s wages. Benefit amounts will be
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 workplace, but its reach is significantly broader than that.
Key Changes and Takeaways
Oregon’s new Equal Pay Act and “Pay Equity Analyses” are all the rage in Oregon right now. The majority of the Act’s new requirements go into effect January 1, 2019. Let’s talk about 10 things you should do before the end of the year to make sure you are in compliance with the law.
Continue Reading Pay Equity: 10 Things for Oregon Employers to Do Before the End of the Year
The 2017 Oregon legislature passed a “secure scheduling” or “fair work week” law that imposes significant requirements on certain categories of large employers. The law, available here, goes into effect July 1, 2018. We previously blogged about the law here.
Are You a Covered Employer?
The law applies to retail, hospitality, and food services employers with 500 or more employees worldwide.
Continue Reading Oregon’s Secure Scheduling Law Goes into Effect July 1: Are You Ready?