NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Ammon Bundy
questions authority of
feds to prosecute him
Business quiet on new wage rules
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
The business community was nearly
absent from a public hearing Monday on
draft rules for how itinerant employees
will be paid under Oregon’s new regional
minimum wage law.
The law sets three different regional
minimum wage rates. It pays workers the
highest rate in the Portland metro area,
the lowest rate in most coastal and rural
areas and a mid-level rate elsewhere in
the state.
The proposed rules require employers
to pay the regional wage that applies in
the location where the employee actually
worked in a given week, unless the
employee was working outside of their
regular location for an “incidental period
RIWLPH´,QFLGHQWDOLVGH¿QHGDVOHVVWKDQ
four hours per week.
About 20 people, a combination of
workers and labor activists, turned out
at the hearing at the Bureau of Labor
and Industries to speak in favor of the
proposal. Some speakers requested that
WKH ODERU EXUHDX GH¿QH DQ ³LQFLGHQWDO
period of time” as one hour instead of
four hours.
Melchor Rodriguez, a janitor from
Beaverton who is a member of the
Service Employees International Union
49, said the proposed rules would help
him because he often cleans buildings
in different cities. He said the rules also
would help prevent employers from
abusing the system by locating in a
region with the lowest minimum wage
and dispatching their employees to the
Portland area, where wages and cost of
living are greater.
Kate Newhall of Family Forward
Oregon, which supported the new law,
said the intent of the regional minimum
wage was to “recognize we want people
working fulltime to not live in poverty”
and to take “into consideration cost vari-
ations in the state.” She said the proposed
rules were in line with that intent.
Representatives from business and
industry have indicated the proposed
rules would be too onerous for business.
Amanda Dalton who represents
Northwest Grocery Association and other
agriculture groups issued a statement
after the hearing that employee wages
should be based on where the employee
regularly reports to work, not on where
the employee works for a temporary
period of time.
ment of two local ranchers
ZKR VHW ¿UHV $ -DQ
WUDI¿F VWRS OHG WR %XQG\¶V
PORTLAND
— arrest and the shooting death
Lawyers for Ammon Bundy of occupier Robert “LaVoy”
revealed plans to contest Finicum.
A September trial has
the authority of the federal
government to prosecute been scheduled for Bundy
their client for the takeover and the more than two
of a national wildlife refuge dozen others who took part
in the takeover that even-
in Oregon.
Attorney Lissa Casey tually ended in February.
says in court papers that Bundy pleaded not guilty to
a forthcoming motion to conspiracy and gun charges.
Bundy’s
lawyers
dismiss the case will chal-
lenge the federal govern- presented the basics of their
ment’s assertion that it has argument while asking a
ownership of the Malheur federal judge to extend the
GHDGOLQH IRU ¿OLQJ PRWLRQV
National Wildlife Refuge.
“The federal government to dismiss the case. Casey
relinquished the land when said evidence must be
it was previously deeded produced regarding chain of
and homesteaded, thus title and actions or inaction
relinquishing jurisdiction,” of the government.
“Given the complexities
Casey wrote.
Moreover, she said, the of the evidence involved, it
defendant intends to argue is not a simple legal argu-
the government largely lost ment that can be briefed and
the right to own land inside expedited for the Court,”
Oregon once statehood was she wrote.
Bundy’s views on the
achieved.
The U.S. Supreme federal government should
Court, however, has twice get an extensive airing at
ruled that the government his upcoming trial. Though
owns the land in question, often described as anti-gov-
presenting an uphill climb ernment, Bundy has said
that’s not the case. He said
for the attorneys.
“We look forward to the federal government has a
Ammon Bundy’s attempt responsibility to protect the
to re-litigate 200 years of states from outside invaders.
jurisprudence regarding the When critics pointed out that
property clause, and the his company got a $530,000
1935 Supreme Court case loan through the Small
WKDW VSHFL¿FDOO\ HVWDEOLVKHG Business Administration, he
the American people’s noted that he’s only opposed
ownership of the Malheur to federal policies that go
National Wildlife Refuge,” against the people’s will.
Bundy, meanwhile, is
-HQQLIHU 5RNDOD H[HFXWLYH
director of the Center for due to return to a Portland
Western Priorities, said in jail early this week. He was
a statement posted on the ÀRZQ WR /DV 9HJDV QHDUO\
two weeks ago to make a
organization’s website.
Bundy and his followers court appearance on charges
VHL]HG WKH UHIXJH -DQ LQ related to an armed standoff
a protest over federal land at his father’s Nevada ranch
policy and the imprison- in 2014.
By STEVEN DUBOIS
Associated Press
Paris Achen/Pamplin Media Group
Janitor Melchor Rodriguez speaks to the Bureau of Labor and Industries
April 25, 2016, about proposed rules for Oregon’s new regional minimum
wage law.
“Setting any hourly threshold,
whether it is four hours or two hours or
even one hour in the higher regions as
some have proposed, is arbitrary and
requires employers and employees to
track their location throughout the day
and work week, resulting in massive
paperwork and record keeping,” Dalton
said. “We were told this new law would
be as simple as possible for employees
and employers. That is not what we are
seeing in the draft rules.”
Only one employer turned up at
Monday’s hearing.
Pieper Sweeney of Country Heritage
Farm in Yamhill County said it would be
GLI¿FXOWWRWUDFNKRXUVHPSOR\HHVVSHQG
LQ UXVK KRXU WUDI¿F PRYLQJ IURP RQH
minimum wage zone to another.
“We want to do the right thing,”
Sweeney said. “If it is simple for us to
use, it makes it a lot easier.”
“I was actually hoping there would
be more business owners here so I could
hear their concerns,” said Sen. Michael
Dembrow, D-Portland, who was active
in developing the new minimum wage
law. “My understanding is most of that
is going to come from written comments.
For many of them, Portland is a long
trip.”
As of Monday, the labor bureau had
received only two written comments,
said Paloma Sparks, the agency’s legis-
lative director.
The labor bureau will accept public
comments on the proposed rules until
May 23, Sparks said.
Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian
SODQVWR¿QDOL]HWKHUXOHVE\-XQH
7KH ¿UVWRILWVNLQG ODZ WDNHV HIIHFW
-XO\EXPSLQJXSWKHVWDWH¶VPLQLPXP
wage from $9.25 to $9.75 statewide.
In 2017, wage increases will diverge
according to region.
Under the law, the minimum gradually
climbs to $14.75 in 2022 in the Portland
urban growth boundary, which includes
parts of Multnomah, Washington and
Clackamas counties. It will rise to $13.50
in Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Deschutes,
+RRG 5LYHU -DFNVRQ -RVHSKLQH /DQH
Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Tillamook,
Wasco and Yamhill counties, and parts of
Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington
counties outside Portland’s urban growth
boundary.
In rural areas, the wage increases to
$12.50. Those areas include Malheur,
Lake, Harney, Wheeler, Sherman,
*LOOLDP :DOORZD *UDQW -HIIHUVRQ
Baker, Union, Crook, Klamath, Douglas,
Coos, Curry, Umatilla and Morrow
counties.
That’s when the proposed rules
could become complicated for some
employers. For example, an employee
who works in Salem for 35 hours and in
3RUWODQGIRU¿YHKRXUVSHUZHHNLQ
would earn $10.25 per hour for the time
in Salem and $11.25 per hour for the time
in Portland.
Corrections
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a mistake in the paper,
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REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
Nice with clouds
and sun
Sun and clouds
Cloudy
63° 42°
63° 44°
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
Breezy with clouds
and sun
Mostly sunny
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
67° 44°
70° 47°
67° 38°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
67° 42°
67° 45°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
60°
65°
94° (1910)
40°
41°
22° (1924)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.37"
0.97"
4.36"
3.02"
4.97"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
65°
67°
91° (1946)
39°
41°
27° (1929)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.28"
0.71"
2.98"
1.78"
3.85"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
Apr 29
May 6
First
May 13
72° 40°
Seattle
60/47
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
73° 46°
75° 49°
5:50 a.m.
7:56 p.m.
none
8:58 a.m.
Full
May 21
Today
SATURDAY
Spokane
Wenatchee
63/41
67/46
Tacoma
Moses
59/40
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 67/41
59/37
55/45
61/40
67/43
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
58/42
62/44 Lewiston
69/43
Astoria
65/43
57/43
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
61/46
Pendleton 57/35
The Dalles 67/42
63/42
65/45
La Grande
Salem
61/36
60/44
Albany
Corvallis 60/44
61/44
John Day
62/39
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
69/40
59/43
56/35
Caldwell
Burns
67/38
60/31
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Enterprise
Eugene
Heppner
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Meacham
Medford
Newport
North Bend
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Salem
Spokane
Ukiah
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Yakima
Hi
57
61
56
56
60
57
59
62
67
62
54
61
58
64
54
57
69
68
63
61
59
60
63
58
58
62
67
Lo
43
30
35
46
31
35
43
39
42
39
33
36
34
44
45
47
40
41
42
46
32
44
41
34
44
44
43
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
Hi
59
60
53
55
58
55
60
60
67
60
54
59
57
61
55
58
67
70
63
64
58
61
67
56
62
64
68
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
54
76
61
36
48
50
36
55
54
58
59
W
pc
t
s
sh
pc
sh
sh
t
pc
s
pc
Lo
45
35
33
47
33
38
42
40
45
40
33
41
40
44
45
48
45
42
44
45
30
43
43
37
42
45
42
W
c
pc
r
sh
c
pc
r
c
c
r
sh
c
c
r
r
r
pc
c
c
c
r
r
c
c
c
c
c
Wed.
Hi
67
83
73
51
85
61
53
66
74
74
68
Lo
51
74
52
34
49
48
34
52
48
60
57
W
pc
c
s
sh
pc
r
c
t
pc
s
c
WINDS
Medford
64/44
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
54/33
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Partly sunny today; an
afternoon shower in spots in the south. A
few showers tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: A blend of sun
and clouds today; warmer. A shower near
the Cascades tonight.
Western Washington: Partly sunny today.
A passing shower tonight. A shower
tomorrow.
Eastern Washington: Clouds and sun today.
Partly cloudy tonight, but mostly cloudy
toward the Cascades.
Cascades: Partly sunny and warmer today.
Cloudy tonight with a shower.
Northern California: Sun and some clouds
today; not as cold in the interior mountains.
Today
Wednesday
WSW 6-12
W 6-12
W 4-8
NW 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
1
3
6
6
3
&200(5&,$/35,17,1*
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
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NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Wed.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
76
86
87
50
82
61
50
65
82
72
73
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8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num-
ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
showers t-storms
0s
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
40s
snow
ice
50s
60s
cold front
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
National Summary: Rain and thunderstorms will extend from the Midwest to the
Northeast today. Severe storms with tornadoes will erupt over the Plains. Rain will soak the
northern High Plains. The Pacific coast will be dry.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 101° in Laredo, Texas
Low 16° in Saranac Lake, N.Y.
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Fargo
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Hi
60
83
74
86
45
85
65
45
84
82
58
66
82
56
62
75
62
53
85
84
79
84
79
76
84
73
Lo
41
64
49
54
35
65
43
37
64
59
43
40
64
33
40
51
37
36
73
71
55
63
62
58
67
55
W
pc
s
t
t
c
s
c
r
s
t
c
c
t
sh
c
s
pc
c
pc
pc
c
s
t
s
pc
s
Wed.
Hi
69
85
56
64
48
83
65
55
86
78
54
57
85
54
61
79
56
56
84
82
68
86
76
75
81
73
Lo
46
69
45
51
35
68
43
40
66
61
42
43
61
33
41
54
35
34
72
67
58
63
52
56
63
57
W
s
pc
pc
c
c
pc
pc
s
pc
t
r
pc
s
c
pc
s
pc
c
pc
t
r
s
t
pc
t
pc
Today
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland, ME
Providence
Raleigh
Rapid City
Reno
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Tucson
Washington, DC
Wichita
Hi
82
86
84
48
55
86
83
69
81
77
81
79
40
47
86
42
63
74
81
54
70
63
60
74
86
82
Lo
65
70
71
38
42
66
72
45
58
56
51
58
29
35
64
31
41
50
66
43
59
54
47
50
58
57
W
t
pc
pc
c
c
c
pc
t
t
c
t
s
r
r
s
sn
pc
s
c
sh
s
s
pc
s
t
t
Wed.
Hi
78
79
84
50
56
82
86
67
80
71
66
84
53
60
85
38
55
69
77
59
71
64
63
82
66
76
Lo
65
67
72
38
38
65
73
46
51
50
49
61
30
37
65
28
41
52
61
47
60
53
46
56
54
49
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
t
t
pc
c
r
pc
t
s
s
r
pc
s
s
s
t
sn
sh
t
t
sh
pc
t
c
s
c
sh
