By Oregon Employment Department, Suffering from COVID: Results from the U.S. Census Small Business Pulse Survey In early 2021, nearly a third of Oregon businesses continued to report large negative effects on their businesses from the Coronavirus pandemic. Many businesses are operating at reduced capacity compared with one year ago, […]

By Jessica D. Osborne & Dennis E. Westlind Bullard Law NW Law firm, With the Democratic Party now holding a narrow majority in the Senate, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (“PRO Act”) has newfound life nearly a year after dying upon passage by the House majority on February […]

By Oregon Senator Ron Wyden Press Release, Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined colleagues in reintroducing a resolution outlining a bold plan for President Biden to tackle the student loan debt crisis by using his authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for Federal […]

By Eric Fruits Cascade Policy Institute, A recent column published in Forbes has caused quite a stir. The editorial, by Oregon economist Bill Conerly, asks whether Portland is experiencing the death of a city. For months, the Oregonian, Willamette Week, and the Mercury have run articles reporting on business closures, […]

By NFIB, Small Business to Congress: We Can’t Absorb a $15 Per Hour Federal Minimum Wage NFIB strongly opposes new federal legislation to mandate a nationwide $15 per hour minimum wage, based on the overwhelming feedback of small businesses. According to an NFIB member ballot, 92% of small businesses say […]

Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, Wilsonville, OR– Hundreds of Oregon restaurants will open their doors to indoor dining starting Friday, February 12 as case counts per 100,000 residents drop below the coveted 200 case mark over the course of the previous two weeks in specific counties. As industry suppliers and […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation A survey by the Oregon Small Business Association Foundation has revealed that roughly 81% of the small business community is witnessing an increase in criminal activity. This crime wave on top of a pandemic and lockdown makes it unbearable for small business. For one […]

US Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Chamber Denounces Reintroduction of the PRO Act Senate HELP Chair Patty Murray and House Education and Labor Chair Bobby Scott (D-Va.) reintroduced the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). The legislation, which claims to be pro-worker, would force employees to pay union dues […]

By Barran Liebman LLP Oregon law firm, Many employers are deciding whether they can—or should—require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Here’s what we know so far: Employers Can Legally Require Vaccination, With Some Exceptions. The general rule, with some exceptions, is, yes, employers can require employees to be vaccinated. […]

By Oregon Employment Department, Oregon lost 25,500 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate rose to 6.4%. Oregon closed out 2020 having added back 37% of the 285,000 jobs we lost in the spring. Job losses also occurred nationally (-140,000) in December, and the U.S. unemployment rate remained at 6.7%. […]