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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt"><img width="185" height="60" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.gif@01D18E66.F94852D0"></span></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>For Immediate Release<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">April 4, 2016<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-left:7.5pt;text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;color:black;mso-fareast-language:ES-CO">US Department of Labor, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries sign agreement to protect workers from misclassification
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>PORTLAND – </b>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.<b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">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
<span style="color:black;background:white">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.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Background: </b>The Wage and Hour Division is working with the IRS and
<a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/workers/Misclassification/index.htm">27 other states</a> 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.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">More information on misclassification is available at </span><a href="http://1.usa.gov/1nS2TT0"><span style="color:purple;background:white">http://www.dol.gov/misclassification/</span></a><span style="color:black;background:white">.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-fareast-language:ES-CO">Quotes:</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-language:ES-CO"> “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.” --</span><a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/about/org/dweil.htm"><span style="mso-fareast-language:ES-CO">David Weil, U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division Administrator</span></a><span style="mso-fareast-language:ES-CO"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:ES-CO"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black">Quote</span></b><span style="color:black">: “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.” --</span><a href="http://www.oregon.gov/boli/pages/avakian_bio.aspx">Brad Avakian, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
Commissioner</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Photos from the signing available upon request. <span style="color:black">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:ES-CO"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span lang="ES-CO"># # #<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="ES-CO">Media Contacts:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES-CO">Charlie Burr, 971-673-0788, </span><a href="mailto:charlie.burr@state.or.us"><span lang="ES-CO">charlie.burr@state.or.us</span></a><span lang="ES-CO"> (BOLI)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES-CO">Leo Kay, 415-625-2630, </span><a href="mailto:kay.leo.f@dol.gov"><span lang="ES-CO">kay.leo.f@dol.gov</span></a><span lang="ES-CO"> or Joe Versen, 202-693-4696,
</span><a href="mailto:versen.joseph.h@dol.gov"><span lang="ES-CO">versen.joseph.h@dol.gov</span></a><span lang="ES-CO"> (DOL)<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">Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 1045<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Portland, Oregon 97232<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tel: 971-673-0788<o:p></o:p></p>
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