Looking Forward to OBI's Next Two Years
In her January column, OBI Chair Karen Vineyard, Market Executive, Global Commercial Banking for Bank of America, discusses the importance of OBI and the work ahead.
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2022 Legislative Session Begins Next Week |
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The Legislature’s 2022 short session will begin Tuesday, Feb. 1, and run for roughly six weeks, ending March 7. We’ll keep you updated during that time on the work of OBI’s policy team and the status of booth good and bad legislation. We’ll send you a preview of the legislative session early next week and follow up with weekly newsletters recounting the action in Salem. All updates will be posted immediately on OBI’s website as well. We’re looking forward to an eventful month.
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Rep. Julie Fahey Joins other Caucus Leaders for Feb. 8 Panel |
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Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene (right), will join our panel of caucus leaders for a Feb. 8 discussion about the 2022 legislative session. Fahey, the incoming House caucus leader, will replace Rep. Barbara Smith Warner, D-Portland, who stepped down from the role in early January. Fahey will join Sen. Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego; Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend; and Rep. Vikki Breese Iverson, R-Prineville. Participants will talk about what’s on the table for the 2022 session and answer selected questions from registrants. The discussion will be moderated by incoming OBI Board Chair Jordan Papé, CEO of the Papé Group. To allow remote participation, the discussion will occur as a webinar. It will take place from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. Follow this link to register.
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OBI Urges OHA to Adopt Flexible Indoor Mask Mandate |
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The Oregon Health Authority has been weighing a rule change that would make the state's indoor masking requirement permanent. The mandate is the result of a temporary rule that expires in February. OBI's Paloma Sparks, who has been participating in the rule-making process, is among those who offered comment on Jan. 24. Her letter, which you can find here, urges the OHA to do three things. First, it asks the OHA to expand the definition of "private individual workspace" to reflect real-world workspaces, which include protective cubicles and large open areas where workers are spread out. Second, it urges the OHA to exempt vaccinated employees. Third and most importantly, it asks for clear metrics for OHA to signal when the agency will repeal the masking requirements. In an editorial this week, The Oregonian/OregonLive also pushed OHA for clear metrics. OBI will continue to monitor this process and keep you updated.
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Ore. OSHA Scraps Vaccine Rules after Supreme Court Ruling |
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The United States Supreme Court on Jan. 13 blocked enforcement of one of two employer mandates issued by the Biden administration in an effort to slow the spread of COVID.
In an unsigned opinion supported by six justices, the court invalidated an emergency regulation for large employers issued in November 2021 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The mandate compels most employers with more than 100 workers to require them to be vaccinated or submit to regular testing. According to the Jan. 13 opinion, the Biden administration lacks the unilateral authority to impose the mandate. The court noted that OSHA has the authority to enact workplace protections, not broad public health measures, and that the rule went beyond the agency’s powers.
By a five-to-four margin, meanwhile, the court upheld a mandate issued by the secretary of health and human services that requires people who work in health-care facilities that serve Medicare and Medicaid patients to be vaccinated. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined with the court's three liberal justices to form the majority.
Oregon OSHA’s rules must be “at least as effective” as federal rules. In response to the Supreme Court's decision, OSHA announced Jan. 13 that it "will not move forward with adopting the same or similar standard in Oregon." The agency, instead, "will continue to monitor federal OSHA activities and respond as needed."
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OBI Policy Team Participates in NEBC State of State Program
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Policy team member Sharla Moffett (right) represented OBI at the Northwest Environmental Business Council’s annual State of the State event Jan. 27. The event, held virtually, provided an overview of the state’s environmental landscape and the legislative and regulatory initiatives likely to affect businesses. Sharla emphasized the importance of the manufacturing sector and described some of the regulatory challenges that limit its growth. Among other things, such challenges hamper some of the very industries Oregon needs to achieve its environmental goals.
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OBI CEO Joins Metro Panel to Talk Manufacturing
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OBI President and CEO Angela Wilhelms joined Willamette Technical Fabricators CEO Alicia Chapman and ECONorthwest economist Mike Wilkerson on Jan. 27 to explain to Metro Council the importance of manufacturing in Oregon. It is the first of several meetings on the subject. Willamette Technical Fabricators is an OBI member, and Wilkerson spearheaded the recently released manufacturing study commissioned by OBI and the Oregon Business Council. We’ll keep you informed about future meetings.
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Latest Proposed Heat, Smoke Rules Are Costly, Burdensome
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Oregon OSHA has published its latest proposed rules for heat exposure and wildfire smoke, and they continue to pose significant problems for employers. Throughout the process, OBI has urged the agency to consider common-sense rules that ensure worker safety without creating unnecessarily costly and burdensome requirements. We will continue to do so.
Rather than addressing risks caused by work, both rules respond to environmental forces outside of employers’ control. The heat-exposure rule kicks in when the heat index meets or exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit and becomes more restrictive as the temperature rises. The wildfire smoke rule applies when the air quality index hits 101 for fine particulates. Both could impose significant and inappropriate costs on employers.
For every hour worked, for example, the heat rules propose to require employers to provide paid breaks lasting up to 15 minutes. This requirement ignores the fact that many employees are assigned tasks based on productivity rather than hours worked. As a result, some employees will simply disregard the break requirement even as OSHA requires employers to enforce it. The proposed wildfire-smoke rules, meanwhile, require employees to use N95 masks in certain conditions despite OBI’s urging that use be voluntary. Such requirements ignore the very different workplaces to which they will apply and expose employers to penalties for employee noncompliance.
While OBI wants to ensure the safety of all workers, we continue to urge OSHA to consider how these rules will affect the ability of businesses to operate. OSHA plans to file the rules for public comment on Feb.1. We will provide additional information for how you can engage.
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Punitive Portland Emissions Tax Loses Steam
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Following significant opposition by OBI, the Portland Business Alliance and others, the punitive Clean Air Protection Fee proposed by the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) has lost steam. The Portland City Council has not scheduled any action on the proposal, which also has received lukewarm support from air-quality activists.
As you may recall, BPS shifted its focus last year following several months of stakeholder workgroup meetings. It moved away from a per-ton tax on carbon emissions from stationary sources and proposed, instead, the establishment of a $20,000 base fee for facilities that hold designated permits issued by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Some permit-holders would pay an additional emissions surcharge of $250 per ton for certain pollutants.
BPS’ modified proposal suffered from many problems. Not only do affected facilities pay the state for air-quality permits already, but Portland may lack the authority to tax them further. If such authority does exist, Portland’s Clean Air Protection Fee could serve as a model for other cities eager to adopt ill-designed schemes as a means of raising money.
And the proposal is, indeed, ill-designed, as OBI explained in a November comment letter. No nexus exists between the pollutants the city has identified as problematic and the employers that would pay the tax. Singling out the city’s few remaining manufacturers for extra taxation also would compromise their ability to provide employment, harming the very city residents the proposal purports inaccurately to help. The median wage for manufacturing jobs in Oregon exceeds the median for other industries by 17%.
it appears that further action on the issue would require significant retooling to garner support from stakeholders. OBI will continue to monitor the issue with our partners at the Portland Business Alliance.
Contact Sharla Moffett if you would like more information on the city’s proposal.
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OBI Annual Meeting Moved to June 7 |
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After much consideration, OBI has postponed its annual meeting. Originally scheduled to take place Feb. 8, the meeting has been moved to June 7. It will still take place at the Salem Convention Center. We hope the delay will allow a greater number of members and guests to participate in person. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you June 7.
In addition to a timely agenda that will cover key policy and political topics, OBI will honor this year’s jobs champion, Brad Hicks, the recently retired president and CEO of The Chamber of Medford and Jackson County, and include a reception where attendees can network with elected officials and fellow business leaders.
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Benefit Spotlight: Making the Most of MemberZone
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Did you know that your MemberZone portal houses both your individual and company membership information, as well as a calendar of upcoming OBI and member events? You can register to join a policy committee, opt-in to newsletters, find exclusive member only benefits, find and list job postings, and more! Go to the OBI website to login (or create an account if you haven’t yet). Once your account is set up, take advantage of the following features:
- Home: Update personal and company information.
- Personal tab: Communication and newsletter preferences and committee participation in “groups/interests”.
- Events: Showcase your company events and review upcoming OBI and other member events.
- News: Feature your job postings and company events on the OBI website.
- Settings: Easily update personal, company and billing updates and conveniently pay your membership online.
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Welcome to Oregon Business & Industry |
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OBI is thrilled to welcome the eight members that joined in December:
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Community Development Partners (Portland)
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Foliage Services (Portland)
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FormFactor, Inc. (Beaverton)
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Opinionated (Portland)
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Sphaera, Inc. (Hillsboro)
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The Harbor NW (Astoria)
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Washington Trust Bank (Portland)
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Willamette Technical Fabricators (Portland)
Congratulations and thank you to the following businesses for joining OBI; we are a stronger organization because of you.
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Check out all of our benefit programs and start saving today!
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Oregon Business & Industry
1149 Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
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