Archives

November 3, 2015 - Work drug policies vs. new pot laws

By Bullard Law, Portland law firm By Michael G. McClory Nearly one month into the era of legal recreational marijuana in Oregon we are seeing signs that the law is going to impact the workplace. An excellent example of this is found in a (fictional) mailbag letter that The Bullard […]


November 2, 2015 - Wyden on Cyber-security Act

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Press Release, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the passage of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act: “The fight to secure Americans’ private, personal data has just begun. Today’s vote is simply an early, flawed step in what is sure to be a long […]


October 30, 2015 - Pregnancy discrimination rules change

By Dunn, Carney, Allen, Higgins & Tongue EEOC Toughens Stance on Pregnancy Discrimination On July 14 the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new guidance on pregnancy discrimination and related issues. In 2013 the EEOC cautioned employers it was ramping up its focus on claims of pregnancy discrimination. The […]


October 29, 2015 - Why I’m not worried about Oregon jobs (yet)

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog Undoubtedly Oregon’s monthly employment reports have been less than stellar in the past handful of months. The unemployment rate has risen each month since April, although it’s back on track with it’s trend since the depths of the Great Recession. Conversely, […]


October 28, 2015 - Can I Fire A Medical Pot User?

By Bullard Law, Portland law firm By Michael G. McClory Every once in a while we receive a letter in the (fictional) mailbag that is tough to describe and quite compelling.  This week, Isabel, the new HR manager at LabCo (and someone who is new to HR), wants to know […]


October 27, 2015 - Small business gets minimum wage relief news

By Anthony Smith, Oregon NFIB Small businesses get a reprieve, at least in the interim. It’s not often that small business owners are met with good news regarding Oregon’s minimum wage, but the state will not see an increase in rates for the first time in five years. Minimum wage […]


October 26, 2015 - Oregon AG sues GNC nutritian chain

By Oregon Attorney General, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum today filed a lawsuit against General Nutrition Corporation, GNC, for selling nutritional and dietary supplements containing the illegal ingredients picamilon and BMPEA. The lawsuit alleges that the company violated the Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act (UTPA) by misrepresenting certain products as lawful […]


October 23, 2015 - Small shops overwhelmed by new chip card demands

By National Retail Federation, A gift shop owner told Congress  that making the change to chip-and-signature credit cards has been “overwhelming” for many small businesses and that owners are disappointed that without PINs they are being pressured to make an expensive investment without receiving the full level of security that […]


October 22, 2015 - Uber’s response to BOLI’s employee dispute

William Barnes Regional General Manager, West Uber Dear Commissioner Avakian, I write in response to your unprompted decision to issue an advisory opinion regarding drivers using the Uber platform. This decision and subsequent push to media is surprising, since the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries did so apparently without […]


October 22, 2015 - BOLI rules Uber drivers are employees not contractors

Bureau of Labor and Industries Public Press Release, The Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI)  issued an Advisory Opinion that finds that Uber drivers are employees under Oregon labor law. The Advisory Opinion is intended to be instructive on what conclusions can be drawn from current, available information. To date, […]