Oregon Worker Laws

Regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, or age, Oregon businesses must pay equal pay for equal work, regardless of these factors. It is not possible to achieve equal pay by lowering wages. Companies should notify workers in a familiar place of an updated equal pay notice in Oregon if it is not included in a legally required labor law poster. Please note that this guide was written in Q3 2022, so changes to labor laws that were incorporated later may not be included in this Oregon labor law guide. If a domestic worker has been called to work during rest periods, any time worked must be paid at a rate of 1.5 of his or her normal wage. The minimum wage for certain categories of workers – such as student apprentices in Oregon – is commonly referred to as minimum wage. The hourly rate is also regulated by the rule of law. The employee worked an average of at least 25 hours per week in the 30 days immediately preceding the leave. Oregon labor laws require an employer to pay employees overtime, unless otherwise exempted, at 1 1/2 times the employee`s regular wage rate for all hours worked more than 40 hours in a work week.

OR Labor Office FAQ: Overtime. For more information on overtime requirements, see the RSA: Overtime. The Oregon Job Safety Act was passed in 1973, which aims to protect the health and safety of workers in the workplace. The Oregon Division of Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the law and has authority over commercial and public enterprises and governments, both at the state and federal levels. This allows OSHA to conduct inspections of Oregon facilities to verify compliance. If a shift lasts more than six (6) hours, Oregon businesses are required by law to offer their employees a 30-minute unpaid lunch break. Employees must be paid for the full 30-minute meal hours if they are required to work during this period. Depending on the number of hours worked, employers must provide meal breaks for their employees. Administrative Rules 839-020-0050(2)(a) or RAO 839-021-0072. The current minimum wage in Oregon depends on where employer employees work in the state.

For more information on Oregon`s minimum wage laws, visit our Oregon Minimum Wage Laws page, which includes topics such as minimum wage, minimum wage tipping, tip sharing and pooling, and minimum wage. While many states have so-called “right to work” laws that prevent any industry from requiring workers to join a union, Oregon has no such law. Learn more about Oregon`s relationship with unions. Changes to Oregon`s labor laws, which go into effect next year, will keep human resources professionals busy this holiday season and New Year in the Pacific Northwest. The employer must pay you for the full working time. Your employer will have to pay you for most of the activities you do to prepare for work, such as setting up a workplace or donning special protective clothing. In addition, your employer must pay you for the time you spent on your work, such as cleaning your workspace or dropping off the employer`s mail at the post office. The employer must pay you to attend any required training, conferences and meetings related to your work. Waiting for work is considered working time if you cannot effectively use that time for your own purposes. You will not be paid to wait if your employer relieves you completely of your service for a long enough period of time that you can use it for your own purposes.

If you are on call or use an alarm, your employer will only pay you for the time you are actually called to work. Normal travel time to and from work is unpaid. Travel as part of your job description is paid work time. If your job allows you to sleep and you are on duty for less than 24 hours, sleep time will be paid. If you are on duty for 24 hours or more, you and your employer can agree to exclude hours of eating and sleeping up to eight hours from your paid work hours. Workers covered by the Oregon Minimum Wage Act are entitled to certain minimum working conditions. For example, if you work between two and 6 hours as an employee, you will have a paid rest period of 10 minutes. You should be relieved of any work during the break. Rest periods are separated from meal times. Meal times are required if you work more than six hours a day.

Meal times should be at least 30 minutes, and employers don`t have to pay for that time if you`re completely exempt from working during meals.