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Mike Westling, 414-507-7700
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In 2016, Fair Shot coalition will push elected officials to stop wage theft, raise the wage, and end profiling
Portland, Ore. – In anticipation of the upcoming legislative session, the Fair Shot for All coalition launched their 2016 Legislative Agenda on Thursday. The agenda includes stopping wage theft, ending profiling, and raising the wage.
“While we’ve made significant progress, the reality is that many Oregonians continue to struggle in the face of long-standing inequities and we still face a growing gap between the wealthy and working families,” said Andrea Miller, executive director of Causa. “By coming together, we can stand up to discrimination, honor the value of hard work and build stronger communities.”
In addition to continuing work to raise Oregon’s minimum wage and end profiling, the coalition is taking on wage theft, a series of illegal employment practices that deny workers the wages they’ve earned.
Examples of wage theft include:
- Employers paying less than the minimum wage
- Refusing to pay overtime
- Forcing employees to work “off the clock” or “under the table”
- Issuing paychecks that bounce
- Stealing tips
- Denying legally-required breaks, and
- Flat out not paying workers at all.
In 2016, Fair Shot for All will be urging state legislators to:
- Give workers the tools to expose employer wrongdoing;
- Reduce the barriers that prevent workers from getting help; and recovering the wages they are owed; and
- Put an end to workplace abuses that leave workers and their families shortchanged.
“The reality is, that even when working Oregonians put in an honest day’s work, they don’t always receive an honest day’s pay,” said Tom Chamberlain, president of Oregon AFL-CIO. “Oregon law doesn’t always protect workers who experience wage theft, who are often immigrants, women, people of color and low-wage workers. While most employers in our communities do right by their workers, there are too many that don’t.”
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Fair Shot for All is a broad coalition of community, healthcare service, and labor groups that collectively stand for the dreams, beliefs, and needs of hundreds of thousands of Oregonians. The coalition members have joined together to push for real policy solutions that address economic inequality and create a better future for all Oregonians.