Here's what you should know.

After five years of fits and starts — which we covered here, here, here, and here — the federal Department of Labor (DOL) has finalized its regulations related to the salary basis test for the so-called white collar exemptions to overtime. Effective…

The topic of independent contractors has been at the forefront of late, with both the Department of Labor and the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries taking a keen interest in reviewing independent contractor relationships and enforcing wage and…

The landscape of laws regulating the employment relationship in Oregon seems to be constantly changing. Another big change occurred with the enactment of the Oregon Workplace Fairness Act.

The Oregon legislature has added a new requirement for employers to enforce noncompetition agreements against their employees.

Nationwide there has been continued hostility toward noncompetition agreements for employees. A noncompetition agreement is an agreement entered into by an employee by which the employee (during employment and after) agrees not to compete with the…

The ruling in the case required the Office of Management and Budget to grant a three-year approval of a revised EEO-1 form that would add new equal employment opportunity information to what the EEOC already collected from employers.

Employers' use of arbitration agreements continues to gain popularity.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission recently adopted useful housekeeping rule amendments that reduce outdated, redundant, and unnecessary disclosures.

On March 14, 2019, the Oregon Supreme Court considered whether the immunity granted to social hosts from suits for injuries sustained by patrons or guests after voluntarily consuming alcohol under ORS 471.565(1) also bars suit against an employer or…

Earlier this month, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks — again — to raise the minimum salary threshold for employees classified as exempt pursuant to one of the so-called "white collar…

A new decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has reinstated a requirement instituted by the EEOC in the last year of the Obama Administration for employers to report pay data. On July 14, 2016, the EEOC asked the Office of…

As we predicted in an earlier article, the Oregon Legislature has introduced a bill (House Bill 3031) to provide paid family and medical leave for all Oregon employees. If passed, the Bill would enact the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Equity Act…

So, can you ship hemp across state lines now? Not without risk. The 2018 Farm Bill makes it possible to produce hemp in some states without violating federal law. Nevertheless, uncertainty remains for the hemp industry, as shown by recent efforts to…

H-1B season is underway! U.S. employers can file for new H-1B visas on behalf of prospective or existing employees beginning April 1, 2019. The anticipated window for filing new H-1B petitions under the USCIS H-1B quota for FY2020 is April 1 through…

There are strong indications out of Salem that the upcoming session of the Oregon Legislature will see a bill regarding paid family and medical leave. The contours of such a bill are hazy and there is a lot we don’t know about how the leave would be…

In 2017, the Washington State legislature authorized a statewide insurance plan to provide paid family and medical leave to all Washington employees. Under the Paid Family and Medical Leave law, nearly all Washington employers must collect and remit…

On November 19, 2018, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries ("BOLI") issued permanent administrative rules for Oregon's Equal Pay Act. The rules will be effective January 1, 2019.

In May 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule adding an anti-retaliation provision that prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. The final…

There is still time to register for the 2020 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Lottery). Online registration for the DV Lottery began Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and will end Tuesday, November 6…

On September 20, 2018, the Washington Supreme Court considered whether an employer’s payment plan that includes “production minutes” or actual clock time as an employee's metric, qualifies as a “piece-work plan” under Washington’s Minimum Wage Act…