This fall, you’ll be voting for a host of people to serve in elected office where you live and across Oregon. From our vantage point, there is just one race where the outcome will immediately and significantly affect working Oregonians around the state. Like my family – and your family. It’s the race for our state labor commissioner.
What makes the labor commissioner so important? Glad you asked!
The Oregon Labor Commissioner has direct authority over our state Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). And since what that bureau does isn’t on the forefront of most people’s minds, we’re sharing a few jobs they do that we think are critical to families:
- When employees are discriminated against at work, it’s the Labor Commissioner who investigates the claim – and works to right it.
- It’s the Labor Commissioner who trains and monitors employers in how they comply with Oregon’s first-in-the-nation breastfeeding-at-work law.
- When an employer violates state labor standards (like minimum wage, overtime, or workplace safety laws) – it’s the Labor Commissioner who investigates.
- The Labor Commissioner provides trainings and technical assistance to ensure that employers comply with state labor laws.
This is a job we want done by a person who understands and is deeply committed to supporting Oregon workers – and doing it effectively. Brad Avakian is that person. He is the one candidate in this race who approaches his work in the true spirit of our Mother PAC principles. The other guy? Not so much.
We’ve worked directly with Brad Avakian on issues related to workplace discrimination of parents and other caretakers. He supports a state paid family leave program – and will even help to create one. And he’s working actively to address pay inequities for Oregon women (who earn only 78-cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn!).
With all that in mind, we invite you to vote for Brad Avakian for state Labor Commissioner. Learn more about him, his track record, his vision, and his campaign here.