Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) isn’t going to be quiet any more about the severe budget constraints that are crippling its ability to enforce laws that protect workers.
On Aug. 9, BOLI went public with the budget request it wants lawmakers to consider next year: A 30% increase — enough funding for the agency to significantly reduce its backlog of complaints.
Union leaders and workers rights attorneys know all too well what an ongoing scandal BOLI’s budget has been. The agency has about half the staff it had 40 years ago, during which time Oregon’s population has nearly doubled, and Oregon’s Democratic-led legislature has passed some of the best state labor laws in the nation.
Now, making matters worse, complaints are soaring. In the Wage and Hour Division — which enforces minimum wage and child labor violations — the number of complaints has more than doubled since 2020.
If legislators don’t step up to provide adequate funding, the agency says it will be forced to dismiss hundreds of cases due to capacity constraints, “leaving workers without recourse and allowing repeat offenders who make wage theft their business model to operate with impunity.”
“Every law passed to protect workers is only as strong as the agency that enforces it,” said Oregon’s independently elected labor commissioner Christina Stephenson in the statement. “Without adequate funding, the very laws designed to ensure fair treatment and safe working conditions for Oregon workers become hollow promises.”
