NEWS RELEASE: US Department of Labor, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries sign agreement to protect workers from misclassification

[Burr, Charlie]

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For Immediate Release
April 4, 2016

US Department of Labor, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries sign agreement to protect workers from misclassification

PORTLAND - Officials of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries today signed a memorandum of understanding to protect the rights of employees by preventing their misclassification as independent contractors.

Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian joined Thomas Silva, regional director of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, in signing the agreement for an effort that will provide clear, accurate, and easy-to-access outreach to employers, employees, and other stakeholders, share resources, and enhance enforcement by conducting joint investigations and sharing information consistent with applicable law.

Background: The Wage and Hour Division is working with the IRS and 27 other states<http://www.dol.gov/whd/workers/Misclassification/index.htm> to combat employee misclassification and to ensure that workers get the wages, benefits, and protections to which they are entitled. Labeling employees as something they are not, such as independent contractors, can deny them of basic rights such as minimum wage, overtime, and a host of other benefits. Misclassification also generates substantial losses to the federal government and state governments in the form of lower tax revenues, as well as to state unemployment insurance and workers' compensation funds.

More information on misclassification is available at http://www.dol.gov/misclassification/<http://1.usa.gov/1nS2TT0>.

Quotes: "The Wage and Hour Division continues to attack this problem head on through a combination of a robust education and outreach campaign, and nationwide, data-driven strategic enforcement across industries," said David Weil, administrator of the Wage and Hour Division. "Our goal is always to strive toward workplaces with decreased misclassification, increased compliance, and more workers receiving a fair day's pay for a fair day's work." --David Weil, U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division Administrator<http://www.dol.gov/whd/about/org/dweil.htm>

Quote: "When corporations misclassify their workforce, they make it much more difficult for workers facing wage theft, civil rights abuse or other unfair treatment on the job," said Labor Commissioner Avakian. "This agreement will create a new tool to help protect the rights of Oregon workers cheated on the job." --Brad Avakian, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner<http://www.oregon.gov/boli/pages/avakian_bio.aspx>

Photos from the signing available upon request.

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Media Contacts:
Charlie Burr, 971-673-0788, charlie.burr at state.or.us<mailto:charlie.burr at state.or.us> (BOLI)
Leo Kay, 415-625-2630, kay.leo.f at dol.gov<mailto:kay.leo.f at dol.gov> or Joe Versen, 202-693-4696, versen.joseph.h at dol.gov<mailto:versen.joseph.h at dol.gov> (DOL)


Charlie Burr
Communications Director
Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 1045
Portland, Oregon  97232
Tel:  971-673-0788
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