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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img width="185" height="60" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.gif@01CEE6AF.7CC20B40"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Press Release<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For Immediate Release<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>November 21, 2013<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">CONTACT: Charlie Burr, (971) 673-0788 <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="color:black">Avakian urges federal LGBT workplace protections citing Oregon’s experience with state Equality Act<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="color:black">Concerns about increased litigation and costs are unfounded, says Avakian<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Portland, OR—Oregon Labor and Industries Commissioner Brad Avakian today urged U.S. House Speaker John Boehner to extend sexual orientation and gender identity workplace protections</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt">,
saying that fears about increased litigation and costs to businesses are unsupported by the state’s six year experience with the Oregon Equality Act of 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">“Oregon’s experience since the law’s passage six years ago demonstrates that fears about employment discrimination complaints based on sexual orientation causing increased litigation and costs to business
are unfounded,” said Commissioner Avakian. “In every year since Oregon’s equality law’s passage, employment complaints based on sexual orientation and gender identity have represented less than 2.5 percent of the total number of employment discrimination complaints
received by our agency.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">As a state senator, Avakian supported passage of the bipartisan Oregon Equality Act of 2007, including carrying the legislation on the senate floor. As labor commissioner, Avakian enforces the law so that
no Oregonian is denied a job or promotion because just because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">BOLI pursues each investigation not with an inherent bias for or against the complainant, but with a duty to find the truth and unique set of facts surrounding each complaint. The agency also provides assistance
for Oregon employers so that they can avoid potential violations in the first place.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">In a letter to the speaker’s office, Commissioner Avakian documented the small number of employment LGBT discrimination complaints received and investigated by the agency since 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Total number of employment discrimination complaints filed with the Bureau of Labor and Industries between 2007 and 2012<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2012: 1,676<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2011: 1,825<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2010: 1,811<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2009: 1,920<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2008: 2,009<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2007: 1,862<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Total number of employment discrimination complaints filed with the Bureau of Labor and Industries between 2007 and 2012 where at least one of the claimed bases for
discrimination is sexual orientation<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2012: 30 (1.7 percent)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2011: 35 (1.9 percent)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2010: 31 (1.7 percent)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2009: 46 (2.3 percent)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2008: 22 (1 percent)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">FY 2007: 32 (1.7 percent)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">“Oregon’s protection is guided by a basic sense of fairness and understanding that everyone deserves the opportunity for professional success and advancement based on his or her own merit and hard work,”
wrote Avakian. “I urge the U.S. House of Representatives to follow Oregon’s lead and pass this critical workplace protection.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">The letter is available upon request.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Charlie Burr<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Communications Director<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bureau of Labor and Industries<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">800 NE Oregon St., Ste. 1045<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Portland, OR 97232-2180<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(971) 673-0788 wk.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(503) 913-5407 cell.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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