Welcome to the website for the Labor and Employment Section of the Oregon State Bar, which was established as part of the Section leadership’s efforts to provide increased value to Section members. The Oregon State Bar Labor and Employment Section Executive Committee is comprised of labor and employment attorneys from the plaintiff and defense bar, as well as neutrals (mediators and arbitrators).
The Executive Committee’s mission is to provide useful resources and educational events for practitioners of labor and employment law from all sides of the “v”, and to promote the development of a collegial relationship between Section members. To accomplish these goals, the Section leadership is constantly looking for ideas and suggestions on how we can better serve the Section membership. Please do not hesitate to contact the Chair or other Executive Committee member if you would like to offer input, provide suggestions, or volunteer to help with Section events.
OSB L&E Section Advisory Member Drive
The Executive Committee anticipates at-large and advisory member vacancies in 2026. In order to serve, you must be an OSB Labor and Employment section member or be willing to join the section. Member-at-Large terms are two years in length and begin on January 1, 2026. Advisory members are selected by the membership to serve a one-year term. No member may serve as a voting member of the Section Executive Committee more than nine years.
The nominating committee strives to ensure that the members nominated reflect the diversity of the Section membership, the Oregon State Bar and community at large, taking into account all relevant factors including without limitation practice area, office location, age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation.
If you are interested in serving as an at-large or advisory member on the Oregon State Bar Labor and Employment Executive Committee, please submit a letter of interest to Nominating Committee Member Diane Sykes, at [email protected], on or before October 16, 2025.
To find more information about the Section and our current Executive Committee, see https://osblabor.osbar.org/message-from-the-chair/.
2026 Oregon Legislative Session Update
The OSB Labor & Employment committee identified the following bills passed in the recent legislative session which may be of interest to employment law practitioners. Both these bills were signed into law by the Governor on March 31, 2026. The links below provide additional information posted on the Legislature’s website.
· HB 4089: Modifies the crime of theft of services to include partial payments, and increases penalties for some crimes related to contracting with unlicensed labor contractors or unauthorized use of contractor licenses.
· HB 4111: Provides that evidence of a party’s or a witness’s immigration status is generally not admissible as evidence in a civil proceeding, and makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate or against an employee because the employee attempts to update personal information based on a lawful change to employment authorization documents.
Labor & Employment Section Executive Committee Meetings
The Executive Committee meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm via Zoom. If you would like to attend the meeting, please email Kes Jeorg at [email protected].
If you would like to attend an Executive Committee meeting, email Kes Jeorg at [email protected] for call in information.
If you would like to request accommodations for a Section meeting or event, please contact Kes Jeorg, Bar Liaison, at [email protected], no later than 72 hours in advance of the event. For more information see the Bar’s ADA notice here.