Nelson Hall Recognized for Service to Firefighters

The Oregon State Fire Fighters Council recognized Bennett Hartman attorney Nelson Hall at their annual convention. OSFFC President Karl Koenig awarded Hall an honorary white chief’s helmet and recognized him for his decades of service on behalf of firefighters across all of Oregon. Hall is a long-time advocate for firefighters who develop diseases from work […]

Court of Appeals Rules in Favor of Terminated Employee

The Oregon Court of Appeals clarified an important right for Oregon workers, holding that a request for sick time is legally protected regardless of whether the employee meets eligibility requirements. Bennett Hartman attorneys represented an employee of a dental office in Eugene whose employment was terminated after she requested time off work for emergency surgery. […]

Bennett Hartman Attorneys Negotiate $15 Million Class Action Wage Settlement

Attorneys with Bennett Hartman, in collaboration with the law firm of Albies & Stark and several labor unions, negotiated a settlement of class action wage claims on behalf of current and former employees of the State of Oregon. Bennett Hartman attorneys filed the class action lawsuit in 2023 after the State implemented a payroll system […]

Jury Awards $345,000 to Franz Bakery Employee for Sexual Harassment  

A jury in Lane County reached a verdict in favor of Liz Carroll in claims against her employer, Franz Bakery, and her supervisor, Jason Bohrer. The jury awarded a total of $345,000 in non-economic damages—$250,000 against Franz Bakery and $95,000 against Bohrer. Bennett Hartman attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of Carroll in February 2024. […]

Fred Meyer Pays $6.6 Million to Settle Wage Claims

Courts in Oregon and Washington approved class action settlements on behalf of Fred Meyer employees. In 2022, Bennett Hartman attorneys filed the class action lawsuits after Fred Meyer implemented a faulty payroll system that caused widespread pay errors. The lawsuit in Oregon was brought by Fred Meyer employees who worked in Medford, Salem, and Portland. […]

Jury Finds in Favor of Former Firefighter

A jury in Baker County awarded $200,000 in damages to a former firefighter. Attorney Richard Myers filed the lawsuit on behalf of Jason Bybee in 2023. Baker City employed Bybee as a firefighter and EMT when he contracted COVID-19 from a work exposure. Bybee developed Long COVID and was unable to return to his firefighter […]

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. […]

Employment Relations Board Rejects ULP Filed by Freedom Foundation Against Union

With the support of the Freedom Foundation, a disgruntled bargaining unit member claimed that his union discriminated against him when it set limits on how he communicated with his steward and refused to file a grievance.  ERB rejected the claim, noting that the Union’s requests that the employee document his concerns and limit his communications […]

Arbitrator Reinstates Two Laborers Summarily Fired for Single Safety Violation

The employer terminated two employees with no history of discipline for improperly opening up traffic when they believed the worksite had shut down, and after one of the employees had not received a bathroom break for over three hours.  The Arbitrator found that although the employees engaged in misconduct, the employer did not have just […]