From charlie.burr at state.or.us Tue Mar 4 10:12:17 2014 From: charlie.burr at state.or.us (Burr, Charlie) Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2014 18:12:17 +0000 Subject: NEWS RELEASE: BOLI finds substantial evidence of discrimination against same-sex couple in Portland taxi complaint Message-ID: <6376A41CAD6C3E4F8A65385BDA4072612AE4E6F7@D5DAG1B.D5.USA.NET> [cid:image001.gif at 01CF3792.3BEE2750] Press Release For Immediate Release March 4, 2014 CONTACT: Charlie Burr, (971) 673-0788 BOLI finds substantial evidence of discrimination against same-sex couple in Portland taxi complaint Complaint will now move into conciliation to determine whether settlement can be reached Portland, OR-A Portland taxi cab driver violated the civil rights of a same-sex couple when the driver discontinued the ride, leaving the passengers on the shoulder of I-84, a Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) investigation has found. The substantial evidence determination finds that the driver Ahmed Egal operated the taxi cab as an unincorporated sole proprietorship when he stopped service based on the couple's sexual orientation. The couple filed the complaint under the Oregon Equality Act of 2007, a law that protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender Oregonians in employment, housing and public places. Under Oregon law, Oregonians may not be denied service based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The law provides an exemption for religious organizations and schools, but does not allow private business owners to discriminate based on sexual orientation, just as they cannot legally deny service based on race, sex, age, disability or religion. With the substantial evidence determination, the complaint now moves to BOLI's Administrative Prosecution Unit, responsible for processing the contested civil rights division cases. The bureau will now decide whether to bring formal charges pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and BOLI contested case hearing rules. Parties have been unable to reach a settlement at this stage of the process. Oregon businesses seeking guidance on the Equality Act or other civil rights laws can contact BOLI's technical assistance for employers program at (971) 673-0824. Public accommodations complaints under the equality act are rare. In every year since the law's passage, public accommodations complaints based on sexual orientation and gender identity have represented less than one percent of all discrimination complaints received by the agency. BOLI protects all Oregonians from unlawful discrimination, investigating allegations of civil rights violations in workplaces, career schools, housing and public accommodations. Copies of the complaints are available upon request. For more information about BOLI's efforts to protect workplaces and support Oregon employers, visit http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI. ### Charlie Burr Communications Director Bureau of Labor and Industries 800 NE Oregon St., Ste. 1045 Portland, OR 97232-2180 (971) 673-0788 wk. (503) 913-5407 cell. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 5043 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From charlie.burr at state.or.us Fri Mar 7 15:49:10 2014 From: charlie.burr at state.or.us (Burr, Charlie) Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2014 23:49:10 +0000 Subject: =?Windows-1252?Q?NEWS_RELEASE:_Avakian_praises_legislature=92s_commitment?= =?Windows-1252?Q?_to_workforce_competitiveness_and_child_care_for_working?= =?Windows-1252?Q?_parents_after_budget_passage?= Message-ID: <6376A41CAD6C3E4F8A65385BDA4072612AE4FAF7@D5DAG1B.D5.USA.NET> [cid:image001.png at 01CF3A15.1DD423C0] For Immediate Release March 7, 2014 CONTACT: Charlie Burr, (971) 673-0788 Avakian praises legislature?s commitment to workforce competitiveness and child care for working parents PORTLAND?Oregon Labor and Industries Commissioner Brad Avakian today praised the 2014 Oregon Legislature for its efforts to strengthen the state?s workforce and increase child care for working parents. With passage of the budget (HB 5201), the Oregon Legislature took action on two items recommended by the Oregon Council on Civil Rights? Pay Inequality in Oregon report: expanded funds for Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) and increased investment in career education and modern shop classes. ?This legislature saw a bipartisan group of lawmakers make smart investments in 21st century shop classes and job readiness. Oregon?s competitiveness and ability to create well-paying jobs depends on the availability of a well-trained, highly skilled workforce. I greatly appreciate the $2 million investment in career and technical education secured by a diverse group of labor, business and education advocates. In addition, more working parents will see relief from the rising cost of child care with today?s $2.2 million investment in the Employment Related Day Care. That?s good news for Oregon families and our economy as a whole.? See Sections 88 and 89 of HB 5201 for the $2.2 million in ERDC funding and Section 61 for the $2 million CTE investment. ### About BOLI The mission of the Bureau of Labor and Industries is to protect employment rights, advance employment opportunities, and provide for equal access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination. Charlie Burr Communications Director Bureau of Labor and Industries 800 NE Oregon St., Ste. 1045 Portland, OR 97232-2180 (971) 673-0788 wk. (503) 913-5407 cell. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 7699 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: