Protecting Oregon's Workforce: Policy Landscape for Workers and Employers

Webinar
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Registration is free and open to all

Oregon is recognized as a national leader in developing innovative legislation and policies that protect the health and safety rights of workers. This webinar will kick off a series of focused discussions that will explore the intended and unintended consequences of recent Oregon laws such as paid family leave, hospital staffing requirements, and overtime for agriculture workers.

Participants will learn about the legal landscape for workers and employers in Oregon from local and national experts. Oregon is consistently recognized by Oxfam’s Best States to Work Index. Learn from the lead researcher on the Oxfam team about how these rankings are established and tested. Learn from Oregon’s Labor Commissioner about how Oregon balances the safety and rights workers and employers in innovative ways. Download Oxfam's Best and Worst States to Work in the US 2024.

Meet the presenters

Christina Stephenson, Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries

Christina Stephenson is Oregon's 11th Labor Commissioner. Born and raised in rural Oregon, her work ethic was formed by watching her parents grow and sustain a small business for several decades. Christina went on to own and operate her own business - a law practice where she represented workers who have experienced discrimination or harassment in the workplace and helped businesses comply with Oregon's workplace laws. Now, her mission is to ensure Oregon workers have access to their civil rights and that Oregon businesses have access to the skilled workforce they need. In her spare time, Christina enjoys hiking, spending time with family and friends, and volunteering at local organizations.

Kaitlyn Henderson, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Oxfam

Kaitlyn Henderson is a senior researcher at Oxfam and the staff-elected member of Oxfam’s Board of Directors. Among other projects, Dr. Henderson is the lead researcher and author of Oxfam’s Best States to Work Index, a look at how states treat workers and working families in the US. This index captures 25 policies across three themes – wages, worker protections, and rights to organize – and includes all 50 states plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. There were special editions of the index released in 2020 focused on COVID and in 2021 focused on working women. Previously, Dr. Henderson was a Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow with the Aspen Strategy Group, which focused on national security and foreign policy through Track II diplomacy. Dr. Henderson completed her PhD in modern Latin American history at Tulane University, where she received the Peter T. Cominos Memorial Award for her dissertation work.