Legislature OKs bill to curb mandatory overtime for bakery workers

Published 6:03 pm Thursday, February 24, 2022

A bill that would prohibit employers from penalizing bakery and tortilla plant workers who refuse to work overtime shifts on short notice is on its way to Gov. Kate Brown’s desk for approval after passing the Oregon House on Thursday.

Democrats in the Oregon House pushed through Senate Bill 1513 on a 36 to 21 party-line vote. The bill had passed in the Oregon Senate with bipartisan support last week.

Senate Democrats took up the bill after a request from the Oregon AFL-CIO, the statewide federation of unions which represents over 300,000 workers in Oregon. The narrowly tailored bill would impact 294 employers who employ 5,629 workers in Oregon.

It would require employers to give workers at least five days’ notice before a mandatory overtime shift, and prohibit the employer from marking workers absent or otherwise punishing them if they decline a last-minute shift.

Marketplace