Final Decision Could Be Realized by Mid-Summer 2010
The Oregon and Washington Restaurant Associations received word that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a ruling on a tip pooling case. The case MISTY CUMBIE v. WOODY WOO, INC. could allow for tip pooling in Oregon and Washington. This case was heard before the Court last November. This case, once the decision becomes final, will change the way the US Department of Labor enforces tip pooling laws in states like Oregon and Washington that do not allow tip credits.
There was a recent change at the Oregon Lottery. Lottery Director Dale Penn was offered a position to serve as a Marion County Judge, and he took the opportunity. Director Penn was a good, capable director and a strong advocate for both the Lottery and Lottery retailers.
Oregon's new statewide chain restaurant menu labeling policy was signed into law on June 17, 2009 by Governor Ted Kulongoski. The Governor gave his seal of approval following passage of House Bill 2726 by the Oregon Senate on June 1, 2009 by a vote of 21-7, and passage by the Oregon House on May 15, 2009 by a vote of 43-15.
According to Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHA) the purpose of a safety committee is to bring workers and managers together to achieve and maintain a safe, healthful workplace. The benefit of an effective safety committee is finding solutions to problems that cause workplace accidents, illnesses, and injuries. And fewer accidents, injuries and illnesses mean lower workers’ compensation claims costs and insurance rates.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, began requiring the use of the New I-9 Form on April 3, 2009. Employers use the I-9 to document that employees are authorized to work in the United States.
The Oregon Restaurant Association (ORA) and Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) have started a coalition of Oregon Business groups in order to work towards a long-term solution to the immigration issue. As of today there are more than 20 business associations participating in the Coalition for Working Oregon. The overall goal of the coalition is to develop a strategy for a comprehensive federal solution. We will start this process by contracting an economic study on the impact to Oregon's businesses and by hiring a coordinator dedicated to organizing all Oregon business groups so that the same message is being sent from every group to our congressional delegation. However, we first need to understand how we arrived in this position.
