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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><A name=OLE_LINK1><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Times; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Press Release<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></A></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>For Immediate Distribution<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>September 15, 2011<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>CONTACT: Bob Estabrook, 503-709-0730<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Times; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Times; FONT-SIZE: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">BOLI Announces 2012 Minimum Wage<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">New rate of $8.80 per hour takes effect on January 1<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt">PORTLAND</SPAN></B></SPAN><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt">- State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian announced today that <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>’s minimum wage will rise to $8.80 per hour next year.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The 30-cent increase mirrors a 3.77% increase in the Consumer Price Index since August 2010.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>’s minimum wage rate remains $8.50 per hour for all hours worked in 2011.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State>, where the minimum wage is currently $8.67 per hour, will announce its 2012 minimum wage on September 30th.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">“Safeguarding the wages of low-income workers is especially critical in a tough economy," Avakian said. "<st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>’s economy will not rebound if we allow 144,538 minimum wage earners to fall behind inflation.”<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Ballot Measure 25, enacted by <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> voters in 2002, requires a minimum wage adjustment annually based on changes in inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is directed to adjust the minimum wage for inflation every September, rounded to the nearest five cents.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(Read the statute detailing the adjustment, ORS 653.025, </FONT></SPAN></SPAN><A href="http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/653.html"><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt">here</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"></SPAN></FONT></FONT></A><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">.) <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">“During my tenure, BOLI has fought to return nearly $12 million to Oregonians unfairly denied their wages or faced with discrimination,” Avakian continued.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“Thousands of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> families are fighting to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads by working full-time at minimum wage jobs and this agency is committed to defending their wages.”<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><st1:State w:st="on"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt">Oregon</SPAN></st1:State><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"> is one of ten states, with <st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Vermont</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Nevada</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Montana</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Missouri</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Florida</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Colorado</st1:State>, and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State>, that annually adjusts the minimum wage based on inflation and the CPI. The CPI, published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a measure of the average change in prices over time for a fixed “market basket” of goods and services, such as food, shelter, medical care, transportation fares and other goods and services people purchase for day-to-day living.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">“Oregonians recognize the rising cost of living facing every one of us, and our strong minimum wage law is essential insurance that Oregon workers and their families can maintain their purchasing power and continue to contribute to our local economies,” said Avakian. “At the same time, although five out of six <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> employers don’t offer minimum wage jobs, I know that it’s important to continue my dialogue with the businesses, many of them small operations, that do.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Understanding their challenges will benefit our entire economy.”<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">Revised minimum wage posters reflecting the new rate will be available for free download from BOLI’s website in December.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That site, which includes additional information about all of BOLI’s activities, is </FONT></SPAN></SPAN><A href="http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI"><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt">http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"></SPAN></FONT></FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt">. </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoFooter align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">The mission of the Bureau of Labor and Industries is to protect employment rights, advance employment opportunities, and protect access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></P></BODY></HTML>