Let’s face it—people are working longer. Rather than sailing off into the sunset, many Washington employees are either staying at their current place of employment for years longer than the previous generation or re-entering the workforce after time off. For many, the reason an older employee is punching a time clock rather than enjoying his… Read More
Employment Blog
Here you can find the most recent employment law news and commentary on cases around the country. If you need assistance with employment law, don't hesitate to call us.
Portland Blocks City Park Rangers' Plans to Unionize
Though many employers, including government employers, profess to support the rights of their employees, their union-blocking actions do not always match up with their enthusiastic claims. Such is the case with the city of Portland, which is seeking to stop its park rangers from unionizing. In this post, we will explore the arguments made by… Read More
Portland Company Accused of Unfair Wage Practices
A Portland-based company called Alta Bicycle Share has experienced its share of professional peaks and valleys in the last few weeks. Citi Bike, a wide-ranging bike share program run by Alta Bicycle Share, recently opened to great fanfare in New York City. With 15,000 members and 6,000 bicycles at over 300 stations across Manhattan and… Read More
PERS Reform: Proposed Changes to Lower Pension Costs
In our series on the debates surrounding Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) and its potential reforms, we have looked at the issue from several different perspectives: first we examined the major problems plaguing the system, then we explored how the brokenness of the system has adversely affected schools and working teacher, and finally we… Read More
Seattle Is A Great City To Find Work, But What About Unemployment?
The beautiful city of Seattle was recently ranked the 6thbest major city for finding a job. Seattle was the lone West Coast city on the list that looked at factors such as: diversity of industry, range in size of companies offering employment and cost of living. The Seattle Times quotes labor economist Scott Bailey, “The… Read More
UO Administration and Faculty Embroiled in Ongoing Contract Negotiations
The stereotypical idea of a labor dispute often involves blue-collar workers, such as factory employees or agricultural laborers. The truth, however, is that struggles for employment rights occur in varying contexts and at many different socioeconomic levels. A perfect example of this is the fact that one of the biggest ongoing labor problems in the… Read More
Washington Employees Right to Workplace Breaks
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 many of you reading this… Read More
Fast Food Workers Strike in Seattle And Throughout The Nation
A recent strike in Seattle by a group of fast food is going to make it very hard to get your food quickly. The Nation reports that fast food workers throughout Seattle went on a twenty-four hour strike earlier this week, marking the seventh fast food work stoppage in the last two months over issues… Read More
PERS Reform: The Union Perspective
In our last two blog [PERS Reform: Money Match Makes Pension Costs Rise to Unaffordable Heights] posts [PERS Reform: Budget Woes Are Hurting Teachers and Students], we discussed the major problems facing Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), and how PERS’s problems are affecting teachers in Oregon’s public schools. In this post, we will look… Read More
Will Switch to Health Exchanges Affect Insurance for Washington State Workers?
For many employees, their compensation is much more than the final total they see on their paycheck every two weeks. That is because many employers provide a range of other benefits which are critical, including vacation time, sick leave, retirement support, and health care insurance. It is important not to view these additional amenities as… Read More