From Michael's Desk
Martin Luther King said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. . . It’s just that, sometimes, justice requires a real struggle, and takes a long time to arrive. We are reminded of this as a long-standing case in the office finally comes to a close. This story begins in 2008.
The employer involved, Oscar Urrutia, operates a landscaping business, so his need for workers is seasonal, and he recruits additional workers during the spring and summer months on a temporary basis. He apparently engaged in a pattern, over many years, of hiring workers with promises of payment, but intentionally refusing to pay them at the end of the summer landscaping season. Instead, he’d shut off his phone and go to California on vacation.
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Workers’ Class Action brought by NWJP Causes State Labor Agency to Change Overtime Interpretation
In August 2016, NWJP filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of seven immigrant and refugee class representatives against a Portland commercial bakery for violations of the requirement in Oregon law to pay daily manufacturing overtime and weekly overtime, among other wage and hour and paid sick leave violations.
The employer claims that it was justified in paying only the higher of daily overtime or weekly overtime, but not both, based on a technical assistance publication from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). In response to the lawsuit, BOLI’s Wage and Hour Division issued a formal interpretation saying that employers must pay both manufacturing and weekly overtime, as NWJP’s clients claim.
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Oregon Coalition to Stop Wage Theft Sponsors Bills to Strengthen Wage Laws
This legislative session, the Oregon Coalition to Stop Wage Theft is working to pass several important bills in the Oregon legislature. Our Coalition has now grown to over 40 groups, thanks to the addition of the Northwest Forest Worker Center. We look forward to working with all of our allies to pass these significant pieces of legislation.
The first bill tackles the problem of retaliation. Too often, an employee who makes a wage complaint gets fired or suffers other dire consequences as a result.
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Inside NWJP: Fall Fundraising Success!
We challenged our supporters to dig a little deeper as 2016 came to a close. To help encourage more donations, Robert Stoll stepped up to match all new or increased donations up to a maximum total of $10,000. Just this last week, we hit that total, so those donations will all be doubled! We have much to do in the days ahead, and these generous donations are much appreciated.
Rape on the Night Shift Documentary & Panel
NWJP is supporting two free documentary screenings of Rape on the Night Shift, an investigation into sexual abuse of immigrant women in the janitorial industry. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion.
Tue, January 24, 4pm, SEIU Hall, 3536 Southeast 26th Ave, Portland OR
Wed, January 25, Centro Cultural, 1110 North Adair Street, Cornelius, OR
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