Featured Stories – Bennett Hartman

Fred Meyer Employees Bring Class Action Wage Claims

Attorneys with Bennett Hartman filed class action lawsuits in Oregon and Washington on behalf of Fred Meyer employees who have been shorted wages since September 2022. The lawsuits allege that Fred Meyer violated wage statutes by knowingly implementing a faulty payroll system. Fred Meyer admits the new payroll system caused pay errors. However, it had […]

Union Members Agree to $2.5 million Class Action Wage Settlement

Over 7,500 current and former employees of Multnomah County will receive notice of a class action wage settlement. A judge preliminarily approved the settlement and ordered notices to be mailed by August 25, 2022. The settlement ends nearly three years of litigation. In January 2019 Multnomah County switched to a payroll system by Workday, Inc. […]

Arbitrator Rules in Favor of University Employees

A University violated the contract when it refused to include an across-the-board wage increase in the salary schedule used for the duration of the contract. The wage increase was contingent on the University’s fund balance and was therefore not included in the printed salary schedules. However, the parties agreed that the salary schedules would be updated […]

Local Initiative to Establish Universal Preschool in Multnomah County Properly Placed on Ballot

Social justice advocates in Multnomah County sought to establish Universal Preschool in Multnomah County by initiative. Counsel assisted in writing the initiative. After it was filed, business groups filed two lawsuits, one raising constitutional concerns, and the other challenging the ballot title. Advocates joined with Multnomah County Counsel to defeat those claims. The court certified […]

Black Lives Matter

We at Bennett Hartman, LLP acknowledge the call within the Labor Movement, the Judiciary, and the legal community for the self-reflection, personal accountability, and change necessary to eradicate the racism that permeates all facets of our justice system. In this moment – with the pandemic highlighting historic economic and health inequity and the murder of […]

A Message about Coronavirus from Bennett Hartman

To our clients, colleagues, and friends: During these unprecedented times, we want to re-assure you and our community that we are here to help, and that we will get through this together. While we work from home to comply with social distancing requirements, we continue to explore better technological resources to allow us to connect […]

Jury Verdict on Hostile Work Environment Claim

A Multnomah County jury gave a verdict in favor of a former employee of MindRite, a cannabis dispensary in Northwest Portland. In August 2017 the employee complained to the owners of MindRite that her male coworkers were sexually harassing customers and colleagues. After reporting the sexual harassment, the employee also told an owner of MindRite […]

Union Members File Constitutional Challenge to SB 1049

On August, 9, 2019, Aruna Masih and Greg Hartman of Bennett Hartman filed a petition with the Oregon Supreme Court on behalf of nine public employees who are union members challenging the constitutionality of SB 1049. The petition alleges that the SB 1049 cuts to Individual Account Program (IAP) benefits and salary cap constitute an […]

Court of Appeals Upholds Union’s Right to Arbitration

TriMet, a public mass transit agency, refused to arbitrate a grievance filed by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, concerning a decision to enter into contracts with nonunion shuttlebus companies. TriMet receives federal grant funds which it passes on to nonprofit shuttlebus operators. When TriMet contracted with a non-union operator, the union claimed a violation […]

Judges who wed couples can’t refuse same-sex unions, ABA ethics opinion says

Judges who perform marriages may not refuse to perform marriages for same-sex couples, according to a recently released formal ethics opinion from the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Judges not only must follow the law but also must act impartially and free from bias or prejudice, the opinion says. Formal […]