GreatWork Blog

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Oregon has seen a significant change to protected leave laws over the past few years. The Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) program began in late 2023, and rules and regulations are continuing to change. The Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) went through major amendments in July 2024. Fortunately for employers also covered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), FMLA has not changed.

An employee tells you that they are having a baby and that they need to take time off both before and after the birth. What do you do? Is the leave covered under the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) or Paid Leave Oregon (PLO)?

As with anything leave-related, it’s complicated.

On February 27th, the Oregon State Legislature passed Senate Bill 1515A, which makes changes to Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) and the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA). Governor Kotek is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

Since PLO went into effect, there has been a lot of overlap between PLO and OFLA, which has resulted in Oregon employees being able to stack leaves, amongst many other challenges and frustrations for employers. SB 1515A seeks to simplify and minimize such overlap by making several changes, including eliminating many provisions under OFLA.

Earlier this year, Oregon passed House Bill (HB2474), updating eligibility language for the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA). Beginning January 1, 2022, additions will be made to OFLA eligibility requirements.

Today, there are so many laws protecting employees and their jobs that a lot of employers feel they have no means to address attendance issues without risking a claim. Not only do we have the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but here in Oregon we have the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA).

This month, a Portland Commissioner released a proposal to require employers in the City of Portland, or who have employees who perform at least 240 hours of work in the City of Portland to provide sick leave. Under the new ordinance, sick leave is generally available for absences resulting from certain illness, injury, health conditions, diagnosis, and preventative care of the employee or their family member. 

According to a recent data, employee claims for violations of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) increased 18% between 2009 and 2010.