Business bills spark debate

Huffman’s District 59 includes Western Wasco, Wheeler, Jefferson and Northern Deschutes counties.

His concerns are shared by Jerome Rosa, executive director of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, and Jan Meekcoms, executive director of the Oregon chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business.

“We are opposed to all bills that would increase our producers cost of doing business,” said Rosa.

“This just seems like an all-out siege on business. I haven’t seen anything like it in my five years with NFIB,” said Meekcoms, who believes a host of new regulations could actually put people out of business.

“These regulations are killing jobs in a state whose unemployment rate has been over the national average for a decade – and that statistic is driven by policy.”

She said Oregon is only a half-percent behind Mississippi for the top spot of states with the highest unemployment rate.

“Right now, our Legislature is working hard to capture that title,” said Meekcoms.

DIFFERING VIEWS

More than 97 percent of employers in Oregon are small businesses, which number about 336,072, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Meekcoms has testified in Salem about the need to consider the effect on small businesses of policy decision when they provide about half of all jobs in Oregon’s private sector.

“Oregon has one of the highest poverty levels in the country,” she said.

“The policies of the last 20 years have not served Oregonians well, so why inject those policies with steroids now?”

The AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) said the fact that so many Oregonians are struggling is the reason that legislative intervention to correct inequities is needed.

The union is part of the Fair Shot for All coalition that also names the Oregon Educators Association and SEIU 503 (Service Employees International Union) as members.

“Helping our workers is going to lift everyone up,” said Russell Sanders, director of communications for the AFL-CIO. “We want everyone to get ahead, not just get by.”

He said the gap between the wealthy and low to middle income workers is widening.

He said the legislative policies under consideration will help make life better for 650,000 hardworking Oregonians.

POLICY ISSUES

Huffman and Meekcom’s concerns begin with lesser known proposals, such as creation of a government-sponsored retirement plan for the private sector.

They believe it will result in an added layer of regulation and put government in direct competition with private companies already providing these services.

Fair Shot contends that one in six Oregonians, ages 45 to 65, have less than $5,000 in retirement savings, so a “safety net” is needed to ensure their security during the senior years.

“A decent retirement is one of the priorities that we fight for,” said Sanders.

Meekcoms said businesses could soon also be mandated to provide workers with eight hours — beyond their accrued vacation time per child — to attend school activities each year.

Fair Shot supports this proposal because it strengthens Oregon’s families.

Democrats, who control both the House and Senate in Salem, are also considering an expansion of Bureau of Labor and Industries authority.

Meekcoms said that list includes allowing BOLI to issue a cease and desist order prior to due process playing out in investigations involving reported wage and hour violations by businesses.

“The government is going to drive a wedge between employers and their workers because of the potential for more lawsuits,” said Meekcoms.

The AFL-CIO believes these measures provide workers with better protection from unlawful employment practices.

Sanders said, in addition, the union wants to “ban the box” that has to be checked on applications when people have prior arrests and convictions.

“We want to give every Oregonian an opportunity to succeed,” he said.

COMING COSTS

Meekcoms said there are 40 proposed tax increases now on the table in Salem, including a 50 percent cut to all itemized dedications, such as home mortgages.

“The net result of all these bills is solvency threatening,” she said. “It adds to an already deep-rooted feeling of uncertainty for employers that will have a limiting effect on expansion and employment plans.”

The concerns of Rosa, Huffman and Meekcoms deepen with big issues that are grabbing media headlines. These include boosting the minimum wage for all employees to $15 per hour.

Oregon currently has a minimum wage of $9.25 per hour, $2 dollars higher than the federal minimum of $7.25 and the second highest in the nation.

“Will businesses flee Oregon? A few might but, more importantly, many will replace employees with automation,” said Meekcoms.

Huffman said of increasing wages: “I have done everything that I could to increase people’s access to education and vocation programs and get them help with child care while they were ‘skilling up,’ because that’s the answer to help them earn more money.”

Rosa, a dairy farmer and rancher, said if an entry-level worker earns even the $12 per hour “compromise” that some legislators want, then more senior employees, with greater responsibilities, are going to also want their wages bumped up.

In the dairy industry, he said prices for milk and cheese are set by federal policy so producers have to absorb extra costs imposed by the state.

“Family farms have no way to pass on these costs,” he said.

Sanders said data collected by labor unions shows that a boost in the minimum wage will actually improve the economy in Oregon by putting more money into circulation.

“It’s going to make everyone’s life better because this money will be spent in their local communities,” he said.

The Oregon Chamber of Commerce has come out against the proposal to require that all employers provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours that both full- and part-time employees work, up to 56 hours per year.

Like NFIB, the chamber argues that many of the state’s small businesses are not large enough to absorb the added cost.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce has not taken a stand on the issue, according to Lisa Farquharson, director.

Fair Shot contends that 71 percent of Oregon employees in low-paying jobs have to work while sick to get paid, or lose income, which puts a hardship on their families.

“I know my constituents want me to vote for things that improve their lives,” said Huffman.

“And that’s the lens I look through in Salem. I have to weigh the ultimate cost of every bill and what is going on right now in the Legislature is scary.”