Labor Day: Oregon leads the way

Oregon was the first state to honor the American labor movement by passing a law recognizing Labor Day. That was in 1887. Today, Oregon continues to be a national leader with the recent passage of paid sick days legislation.

As we celebrate our progress, we must also remember that there is still work to do. Labor Day weekend is a time to reflect on the importance of policies that support the strength, prosperity, and well-being of American families.

Here are a few examples:

• Americans living below the poverty line should not have to work overtime without fair compensation, but under an outdated rule employers can exempt workers making more than $23,660 from getting overtime pay. That’s just not right – and I support the President’s Executive action updating that rule so more workers are eligible for overtime pay.

• Many of our economy’s fastest-growing and lowest-paying industries expect their employees to keep irregular and unpredictable schedules, which can be stressful and challenging for workers who live far away, depend on public transportation, or don’t have flexible and affordable child care options. I am sponsoring the Schedules That Work Act to protect workers from retaliation and implement basic requirements for more predictability. Businesses will benefit from reduced employee absenteeism and turnover.

• Finally, the United States is one of the only countries in the world without a national paid parental leave policy – something that’s particularly hard on working mothers. We can do better.

Recently U.S. Secretary of Labor Perez visited Oregon for a roundtable discussion about paid leave. He applauded our progress and reminded us that we can do more to make our economy work for everyone. Learn more about his visit and let me know what you think!