Oregon, like most states in the USA, applies two different rules for small businesses and large enterprises. The indicator that is used for deciding whether a company is a small or large employer is the number of employees it has on its books. According to Oregon health insurance rules, only
In Oregon, employers have to offer a sick leave rate of one hour for each 30 hours worked. Employees are capable of earning up to 40 hours of time in a year. An employer with between six and 10 employees is considered a small business employer, and their employees may
Most state governments plan to launch state-sponsored retirement saving programs. They are doing this in response to the retirement crisis. Currently, Oregon and Illinois are the leading states. They launched a retirement savings plan in July 2017 and June 2017, respectively. Therefore, employees in Oregon have a new and easy
A recent poll by PwC Consultants provides interesting data about those who shop on Black Friday. In 2015, the poll found that 59% of those responding stated that they would be going out to shop on Black Friday. In contrast, a poll this year finds that only 35% will be
The Evergreen State has long been aggressive in pursuing a robust minimum wage. Whether the reason is fairness to workers, a living wage, or the idea of stimulating economic activity from the bottom, the legislature has continually pushed to provide a minimum wage that exceeds national standards. In November of
Northern Nevada Business Weekly recently reported that local employers must remain on alert for the extent to which wage-based regulations may be subject to federal revision and impact their management practices as a result. In particular, there may be a revision of current policy involving tip-pooling and businesses that would
While your company is itself subject to legal protections, there is still no doubt that it must conscientiously navigate the rights of its employees and of those prospective hires that may soon be. So long as your business acknowledges those rights appropriately, it will have remained on the right side
Oregon joins Seattle, San Francisco, California, Emeryville, and New York City in developing a predictive scheduling law as an addition to its minimum wage rules. The provisions of instrument number S.B. 828 will start to take full effect on the 1st of July, 2018. The provisions are meant to regulate
Unions are something that most Americans have heard about. In the past, the media covered unions like the Major League Baseball Players Union. During the Great Recession and the auto bankruptcies, there was much coverage of the Auto Workers Union. The airlines consistently negotiate with unions representing pilots and mechanics.
Happiness at work: everyone wants it. But can everyone get it? Believe it or not, the answer is “yes.” Even if you’re not working your dream job, there are some things you can do to be happy wherever you are. Just remember the two R’s:relationships and results. Relationships
A Tri-City Herald article looks at the recent announcement of City Manager Crutchfield’s retirement. After more than 30 years serving the City of Pasco, Gary Crutchfield will retire this summer. In 1978, Crutchfield took his first position with the City as the community development director. Six years later, Crutchfield became
Recently the Seattle Times published a story focusing on the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, on employer provided health insurance benefits. The article addresses many employee concerns, such as reduced hours to avoid required employee coverage, increased premiums, and changes in benefits. It also discusses a
Flu season is in full swing and a recent Seattle Times story urges people to get flu shots and, if they have the flu, to stay home. Staying home allows for faster healing by making it easier to get rest, hydration, and medications, and helps prevent the spread of the
Minimum wage has been a hot button issue in 2013, with several states across the country raising their minimum wage amounts and Washington, D.C. lawmakers trying to do so on the federal level. Fast food workers in particular have been walking off the job, demanding a wage increase to $15.00
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that every health insurance plan, including plans provided by employers, offer preventive health services with no cost sharing. For the purposes of the new law, the Department of Health and Human Services defined appropriate preventive benefits for women to include the entire range of
Boeing recently presented a new contract that would have Seattle aircraft manufacturer buildings its new 777X airplanes at union-represented Seattle plants. Despite having moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001, Boeing has been an airline manufacturing mainstay in Seattle since the early 1900s. So the company felt fairly secure in
Amazon has been in the headlines a lot lately. First, it announced its intent to hire nearly 70,000 holiday employees, many of whom could become full-time after the holiday season. Now Amazon has made a deal with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to provide its customers with Sunday deliveries.
All Oregon employees have specific rights under both state and federal wage and hour laws. On the federal level, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that employer pay employees a minimum hourly wage of $7.25 per hour, as well as time and a half that hourly wage for overtime
As previously discussed on this blog, Washington, D.C. lawmakers had approved a bill that would require large retailers to pay their employees a living wage of at least $12.50 per hour, as opposed to the usual D.C. minimum wage of $8.25 per hour. The bill, called the Large Retailer Accountability
On November 5, SeaTac residents will decide whether they will raise the nation’s highest minimum wage from $9.19 to $15 an hour. Proposition 1, if passed, would require business in the SeaTac area to pay employees more than double the national minimum wage. The dramatic increase in minimum wage is
One of the many perks of many jobs is the ability to take paid time off or paid vacation time. However, vacation time can also be a touchy subject in many workplaces. For instance, employees often complain that favoritism can play a huge role in manager approval of certain employees’
There was a time when people could expect to retire at 65 and feel that their employer’s pension or retirement package would be enough to make retirement comfortable. There was a time when retirees would move to warm climates and golf daily. That was then, now retirement has become something
Many employers believe they can expect employees to prepare for a shift and/or wind down from a shift on unpaid time. For example it is common for employers to require set up or meetings before employees clock in, or break down of equipment or clean up after clocking out. Under
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is an organization composed of United State federal and state legislators, foundations, and corporations. ALEC members work to create so-called model policies for legislators to introduce as bills in their respective states. These bills generally focus on limited government and federalism at the state
The issue of the living wage has become the center of many debates and conversations across the United States as of late. Separate from minimum wage, living wage refers to the minimum amount of income a person requires to meet basic needs based on their circumstances, such as family, dependents,
Many large companies have their employees participate in a “pay-at-risk” compensation plan, which links a portion of employees’ incomes to the company’s performance. While this program means large paychecks for employees when the company is prospering, it also means that employees pay the price when the company is doing poorly.
A Seattle Times article describes a change in Trader Joe’s health insurance benefit policies. Trader Joe’s has decided to stop offering health insurance benefits to its part-time employees, those working less than 30 hours a week. Instead, Trader Joe’s will provide its part-time employees with $500 to help cover the
Fast food work can often be a thankless job. It seems like everyone goes to fast food restaurants, but hardly anyone appreciates the hard work, long hours, and relatively low wages that fast food workers must put up with every day. In addition, fast food restaurants have often been under
This November, voters in the city of SeaTac could pass the SeaTac Good Jobs Initiative (“GJI”), which would establish the highest minimum wage in the country, according to an article from Seattle-based KOMO News Network. The SeaTac ballot initiative would establish a minimum wage of $15 per hour for certain
Losing a family member is one of the most difficult events a person may experience in their lives. The resulting grief can cause many mental or emotional issues, and may hinder a person’s ability to carry on as usual in his or her everyday life. Unfortunately, most employers, especially large
A recent University of Washington study shows that many Seattle employers do not comply with the city’s sick leave ordinance. According to the study, which surveyed over 1400 employers, 27.1% of employers do not offer their employees paid sick leave or any kind of paid time off. The study also
In March of this year, Portland City Council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance that would require employees to be able to accrue paid sick leave. Taking effect on January 1, 2014, the guaranteed right to paid sick leave will apply to employees working at companies with six or more
For many Washington employees, there are lots of places he or she would rather be than at work. Isn’t it funny how an 8-hour work day can feel more like 12-hour work day? Work is hard for everyone and other than downing copious amounts of caffeine in between shifts (which
In our last post, we discussed how Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) has been the subject of ongoing criticism and attempts at reform. Specifically, we explored one of the major liabilities of the system – the Money Match pension formula that has significantly raised pension costs for government employers
One of the most important issues facing the state of Oregon these days is the brokenness of its Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). In order to provide you with a holistic understanding of the situation, this post will be the first in a series discussing PERS reform. In this post,
Washington employers, do you know about Seattle’s sick and Seattle’s sick and safe time law yet? time law yet? To surmise, the Sick and Safe Leave ordinance (Seattle Municipal Code 14.16) requires businesses located within the city of Seattle to provide paid sick and safe leave to their employees (notice
In the quest for ever-increasing output, many companies have begun implementing health and wellness initiatives to ensure that their employees remain healthy, happy, and (most importantly) productive. However, a Portland company at the forefront of the quantified self movement – which uses statistical data about a person’s characteristics and activities
In early December, the country’s largest rail carriers announced they would begin providing health benefits to their employees and their same-sex spouses starting January 1. This announcement was released even though the lawsuit, which was filed just one day earlier in Seattle’s District Court, is still ongoing. In the lawsuit,
Over five years ago San Francisco’s paid sick leave ordinance went into effect, which required employers to provide paid sick leave to all employees working within the city limits. Seattle recently followed San Francisco’s example and enacted its own paid sick leave ordinance. (In fact, Seattle’s ordinance went even further
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court that an ERISA plan’s specific procedure for designating beneficiaries controls over other instruments that may conflict with it. In the case, Kennedy v. Plan Administrator for the DuPont Savings & Investment Plan, an employee designated his wife as the beneficiary for
A new law quietly passed as part of the recent economic bailout package that requires insurance coverage to be equal for mental and physical illnesses. Health plans commonly provide less, or different, coverage for mental illness and addiction disorders than for physical illnesses. In particular, health plans have regularly
There has been a great deal of discussion recently on the need to address the widely-perceived problem of executive overcompensation. The recent financial meltdown on Wall Street has intensified this discussion. The federal government recently indicated that banks that accept cash infusions as part of the current financial bailout
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday heard oral argument in the MetLife v. Glenn case. This is an important case that could affect all future lawsuits to collect benefits under an employee benefit plan. Where an employee benefits lawsuit is governed by ERISA, the lawyers in nearly every case argue over
We reported on the decision by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Dewitt v. Proctor Hospital in which the court allowed a claim by a plaintiff who contended that she was fired because of her husband’s high medical bills. In a similar case decided this week, the 8th Circuit
Boeing this week added itself to the list of companies that are phasing out defined benefit pension plans. In negotiations with its unions, Boeing is proposing that all new employees be enrolled in a 401(k) type plan supplemented with contributions by Boeing. The proposal is not surprising. Many companies are
Recent court cases have highlighted the thorny issues that arise when a benefit plan enforces its subrogation rights or seeks reimbursement of overpaid employee benefits. Plan administrators have faced uncertainty about subrogation and reimbursement claims in the wake of the Supreme Court rulings in Sereboff v. Mid Atlantic Medical Services,
As noted below, on February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified a remedy issue under ERISA. Employees can sue under ERISA Section 502(a)(2) for fiduciary breaches that impair the value of assets in a 401(k) account. Last week, the Supreme Court signaled that it may now address the issue of
ERISA disability benefit plans commonly require objective medical evidence of disability. This can be a difficult hurdle for claimants who believe they are disabled by conditions that cannot be evaluated by objective evidence. In one recent case, for example, the employee argued that she was disabled because of severe debilitating
I wrote a few words below about non-compete agreements and their proliferation. Now comes a story about a company that must pay $4 Million for denying compensation to an executive who refused to sign a non-compete agreement. In this particular situation, the employer (H&R Block) attempted to force its Chief
A new published case from the Washington Court of Appeals addresses the proper remedy when an employer fails to pay under a settlement agreement. In this case, Rosen sued Ascentry for breach of contract and unpaid wages. Ascentry agreed to settle the case for $50,000. For some reason, Ascentry
Today the Supreme Court said that a 401(k) participant can sue for losses when a plan fiduciary fails to follow investment directions. In the case, James LaRue of Southlake,Texas, contends that his stock market holdings plunged $150,000 because administrators of his 401(k) retirement plan failed to follow his instructions to
Those following employee benefits litigation know that there have been hundreds of cases filed over the trend by companies to convert their traditional, defined benefit pension plans to cash balance plans. Another ruling was issued late last week in a class action case involving a plan conversion by CIGNA. The
The Department of Labor has issued an interesting advisory opinion holding that a Kentucky wage deduction withholding statute is preempted by ERISA to the extent it limits placement of employees into default health care plans. In this situation, employees who fail to choose a plan are placed into one by
On April 23, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in MetLife v. Glenn. This is an important case that may affect all future lawsuits to collect benefits under an employee benefit plan. Where a benefits case is subject to ERISA, the lawyers in nearly every case argue over
