Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is back to investigating wage theft complaints from all Oregon workers — not just those who make less than $25.34 per hour.
In October 2024 BOLI stopped investigating wage claims from workers who make more than $25.34 per hour — because the underfunded agency was falling too far behind trying to investigate all wage claims.
With the Oregon Legislature having increased BOLI funding 30% earlier this year, the agency was able to remove the wage threshold as of Oct. 1.
In a press release announcing the return to investigating all complaints, Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson said halting investigations above the wage threshold was the hardest decision of her career.
Wage claims filed with BOLI increased 208% between the 2020 and 2024 fiscal years, while staffing remained flat. By August 2024, BOLI had a backlog of 4,074 wage and hour intakes and 1,341 wage and hour investigations. A year later, after halting intake for claimants making more than $25.34, the intake backlog was 1,997 claims and the investigations backlog increased to 2,302 as intakes were completed.
BOLI is now hiring wage and hour investigators and will soon have 19 — nearly double the current staffing of 10 investigators.
Besides eliminating the cutoff, BOLI is also reopening claims filed where workers earned above the threshold. Staff are contacting complainants, and if the worker is still interested, BOLI can start investigations. (BOLI allowed workers who made more than $25.34 per hour to submit claims, but told them the claims would not be investigated. BOLI notified employers by letter of the claim, and that’s all it takes to get about half of wage claims resolved.
BOLI aims to clear its wage and hour intake backlog by mid-2027 and its wage and hour investigation backlog by mid-2029, the agency said in its State of the Worker report released in September.
“This investment doesn’t erase decades of underfunding overnight,” Stephenson said in the press statement, “but it marks a turning point.”
Christina Stephenson was instrumental in providing protected time off for Bereavement Leave many years ago. In my opinion out of every one I have ever voted for in Oregon she has by far made some of the most impactful changes that have improved lives on all sides of the isle. True champion!