by Jason Norris, CFA, Executive Vice President of Research Ferguson Wellman,Portland Back in Business Again It has been a volatile year for equities and as we head into the holiday season, that doesn’t look to dissipate. After the 12 percent sell-off investors went through over the past few months (Fed […]

Minimum wage…too low or too high? By T.J. Reilly President, Oregon Small Business Association Almost everyone once worked at a minimum wage job. This is where most of us learned our first basic workplace skills. Many of us received the training that launched us into the careers that we have […]

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Press Release, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said that a trio of essential highway projects in Oregon would benefit from a long-term plan to rebuild the national transportation infrastructure. A member of the Transportation Infrastructure Conference Committee, Wyden praised the House bill for bringing new projects […]

By Oregon Employment Department, Average Hourly Wages on the Rise After years of remaining flat, average hourly wages (adjusted for inflation) have risen in 2015. In August 2015, average hourly wages in Oregon were $23.42, up from $23.16 in August 2014. This comes in part from essentially no change in […]

By Oregon NFIB, State infrastructure is in need of an overhaul, but it’s unclear where the money will come from. Oregon’s infrastructure is in poor shape and could face significant deterioration within the next two decades, according to the state’s department of transportation. Basic maintenance costs to keep Oregon bridges […]

By Dunn, Carney, Allen, Higgins & Tongue Employer Avoids Liability When Employee Refuses FMLA Leave In a recent federal case applicable to Oregon and Washington employers, Foster Farms was found not to have interfered with an employee’s rights under the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when the employee […]

By U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce today released the results of a national poll of registered voters showing that three-quarters of all respondents nationwide are concerned about the employee benefits tax, a 40 percent tax on health benefits, […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog Mike Rogoway has really good update on the Oregon high-tech sector in The Oregonian, and then asks the question of whether or not this growth is impacting the housing market. The answer to that question is no, or at least only […]

By Oregon NFIB Where Wealth Is Running Away in Oregon: 1. Benton Co. (-$132.25 million) 2. Umatilla Co. (-$68 million) 3. Malheur Co. (-$67.75 million) 4. Harney Co. (-$11.73 million) 5. Morrow Co. (-$6.72 million) 6. Multnomah Co. (-$6.43 million) 7. Wheeler Co. (-$5.73 million) 8. Gilliam Co. (-$2.96 million) […]

By Dunn, Carney, Allen, Higgins & Tongue Religious Practices Cannot Be “Motivating Factors” in Hiring Decisions Even if Unconfirmed The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that an employer cannot use an applicant’s religion, confirmed or unknown, as a “motivating factor” in making a hiring decision. In EEOC v. Abercrombie & […]