U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Press Release, Speaking at the Open Technology Institute , Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., warned that proposed changes to expand government hacking and surveillance powers pose a dangerous threat to the security of power plants and other critical infrastructure connected to the internet, as well as Americans’ […]

By Oregon Employment Department, How would a wage of $78,500 strike you? Probably as a really good wage, but not an absolutely spectacular one. Now, how would you like to make that much every three months for a total annual wage of $314,000? Welcome to the world of the top […]

By NFIB, A bill permitting small business owners to reimburse workers for the cost of health insurance should pass the House with bipartisan support, said the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). “Congress could not have intended for small business owners to be punished severely for trying to help workers […]

Oregon Economic Indicators: Oregon continues to grow at a pace similar to that of prior expansions. Highlights of this month’s report include: – The Oregon measure of economic activity slipped to 0.62, down from an upwardly revised April figure The three-month moving average, which smooths month-to-month volatility in the measure […]

Oregon Ranks as #1 Most Popular State for Out-of-State Relocations By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation, More and more Americans are choosing to move to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. That’s according to the latest United National Movers Study released by United Van Lines earlier this year. The national moving […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog A lot has been made of and discussed about the fact that Oregonians have lower incomes than the nation overall. However, I find myself reaching for various measures of income when the need arises, or to answer specific questions. Are we […]

Miller, Nash, Graham & Dunn LLP NW Law Firm New Overtime Rules Become Effective Dec. 1, 2016; By Jack Cooper, Partner Employment Group As we anticipated in an alert sent last November, the United States Department of Labor has now issued final rules designed to dramatically expand overtime pay eligibility […]

By NFIB A U.S. District Court granted a request by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) to temporarily block the Department of Labor’s (DOL) new union persuader rule until the rule’s constitutionality is settled. “When facing union organization, small business owners are in need of legal advice,” said NFIB […]

By Oregon Attorney General, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum  announced two separate settlements with Volkswagen relating to emissions fraud. A federal settlement will require Volkswagen to pay more than $68 million into a trust to support diesel emission reduction programs in Oregon. The federal settlement […]

By Benjamin P. O’Glasser Bullard Law, Portland law firm In December we wrote about Portland’s “Ban the Box” ordinance. This month the City Council approved administrative rules that will guide enforcement when the ordinance goes into effect on July 1, 2016. The ordinance and rules generally apply to employers of […]