A majority of the provisions of Oregon’s Equal Pay Act will go into effect on January 1, 2019. The Act’s ban on salary history inquiries went into effect in October 2017. Beginning the effective date, the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) will enforce the Act, including the inquiry ban, and employees and applicants may file claims with BOLI. BOLI has published a final rule (guiding regulations) to implement the Act. While the Final Rule clarifies and provides guidance regarding key provisions of the Act, as discussed below, it omits any references to the provision of most interest to Oregon employers: the pay equity analysis safe harbor provision.

A Multnomah County Circuit Judge has ruled that, contrary to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries’ (BOLI) recent interpretation of the overtime rules, employees working in mills, factories, and manufacturing establishments are entitled only to the greater of daily or weekly overtime pay in a workweek, not both.  This means, for now, you can continue paying affected employees the greater of the daily or weekly overtime owed.

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries announced a significant reinterpretation of the interplay between the state’s daily and weekly overtime laws. According to BOLI, manufacturing employers must fully and separately provide overtime pay under both statutes instead of paying the greater of the two amounts.

Oregon enacts Senate Bill 1587, which is designed to increase transparency in employee pay and expose wage and hour violations. Effective January 1, 2017, employers will be required to provide additional details on itemized pay statements.