9/16/24: Washington L&I Releases Draft Rules on Amendment to Equal Pay and Opportunities Act September 16, 2024 By Nicole Elgin & Hannah LaChance Barran Liebman LLP, The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) published a draft of its administrative rules on Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) […]

By Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Sept. 12, 2024 Salem – In 2025, Oregon employers, on average, will pay less for workers’ compensation coverage, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) announced today. The decline in costs marks 12 years of average decreases in the pure […]

By National Retail Federation, Press Release, With the economy slowing but still growing and inflation down as the Federal Reserve prepares to lower interest rates, the United States appears to have dodged a recession, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said today. “The U.S. economy is clearly not in […]

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues in urging congressional leaders to extend critical protections for victims of food stamp theft, which are set to expire at the end of September. Currently, states are required to replace stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) […]

By Oregon Business and Industry What do beard oil, a blanket, a robot and an airplane have in common? They’re among the finalists in the second annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon contest, presented by Oregon Business & Industry in partnership with Here is Oregon. The 16 finalists represent a […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation, Alaska Airlines passed a major milestone in its efforts to acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion merger after a deadline for review by the U.S. Department of Justice passed without objections filed, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. Alaska, based in SeaTac, […]

By NFIB, The NFIB Research Center released an industry-specific quarterly Small Business Economic Trends survey highlighting the construction, manufacturing, retail, and services industries. “Small business optimism showed signs of improving over the last few months. While conditions remain tough overall, owners report feeling positive about the future of the economy, […]

NLRB Regional Director Pursuing Charge That Amazon Is a Joint Employer with Its Contractor for Delivery Drivers By Nicole Elgin & Hannah LaChance By Barran Liebman LLP, August 29, 2024 — The Regional Director of Region 31 of the National Labor Relations Board is pursuing a charge against Amazon that […]

By U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Press Release Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced  the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is awarding Klamath Community College and Linn-Benton Community College a combined total of $265,829 to grow their commercial driver’s license (CDL) programs. A CDL is […]

By Oregon Business & Industry The Oregon Legislature is expected to debate K-12 education funding during the 2025 session. In anticipation, Gov. Kotek recently unveiled a proposal that would, through a few technical adjustments, raise the current service level for public schools during the 2025-27 budget-setting process. Finding an extra […]