After successes enacting paid sick leave and raising minimum wage during the last two legislative sessions, Oregon Democrats are looking to capitalize on the momentum to expand workers' protections once more.



To that end, they've introduced more than a dozen measures this year, from big-issue bills that ensure pay equity to more technical bills aimed at preventing wage theft and protecting on-call workers.

A proposal that would require employers to pay workers during family and medical leave is attracting the most attention.



While Democrats say this is a necessary step toward bringing supports for workers up to speed with those in other developed countries, Republicans could be in a position to block the bill as they try to limit new mandates.



Paid leave



House Bill 3087 is sponsored by House Democratic Leader Jennifer Williamson and Rep. Diego Hernandez, both Portland Democrats, along with Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, D-Woodburn, and would set up a statewide family and medical leave insurance fund.



This fund would give employees up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for themselves or a family member, plus an additional six weeks upon the birth or adoption of a child. Employees would be paid about 90 percent of their wages while on leave.



The program is essentially a payroll tax: Half a percent of every worker's pay would be routed to the fund, and employers would match the amount. A worker making $60,000 would bring home $25 less per month.

It also would prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who use the program.

Andrea Paluso, executive director of Family Forward Oregon, said the bill is critical for low-income people who can't afford to take time off to care for sick family members or their own health.



Some low-income mothers, she said, return to work within two weeks of giving birth.



"People are going back to work when they're still sick," she said. "They're feeling like they have to choose between their family member and their job."



Currently, most Oregon employers are required to give workers one week of paid sick leave. And while the 1993 national Family and Medical Leave Act gives most full-time workers 12 weeks off to care for themselves, a newborn or a family member, it doesn't require they be paid and most aren't.



A 2015 report by the U.S. Department of Labor showed that only 12 percent of private-sector employees had access to paid family leave.



Advocates for the program say it's long overdue. The U.S. is one of a handful of United Nations countries that don't have some type of national paid parental leave law.



But that could change: The demand for such programs is growing as global tech companies offer benefits packages with lengthy paid leave stints, and Ivanka Trump has pushed a proposal for six weeks of paid maternity leave.



Only three states -- California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island -- require paid family and medical leave. New York is on track to join them next year, and Oregon could follow.



Because HB 3087 raises new revenue, it faces additional hurdles: After passing out of its current committee, it goes to the House Revenue Committee, then to the House floor for a vote.

There, it needs a "yes" vote from three-fifths of the chamber to continue to the Senate. But because House Democrats are one member short of a supermajority, the bill may die there.



Betsy Earls, lobbyist for Associated Oregon Industries, said her group is willing to work with advocates on the bill and, while not keen on new taxes, would likely support a pared-down version.



Earls said employers in her coalition would like to see the number of weeks reduced as well as the qualifying conditions - at least this time around.



"Employers have absorbed a lot over the last couple years," she said, between new paid sick leave laws and higher minimum wage. "It's getting tough. It's been expensive. People are just now absorbing the costs."

But Williamson says there's no time to lose.



"These are bills that disproportionately impact low-income workers, women, people of color, and so for those working Oregonians, I don't think we can move fast enough to help support them."

Savings account

Meanwhile, House Republicans have their own answer to paid medical and family leave: a pre-tax savings account.

House Bill 3336, sponsored by Reps. Jodi Hack, of Salem, and Knute Buehler, of Bend, would function like a health savings account: employees and employers would have the option to contribute. The worker could then draw money from the account to cover costs during leave.

Rep. Jodi Hack, R-Salem, speaks against one bill's approach to raising the minimum wage Feb. 18, 2016. This year, Hack is pushing a bill that would establish a pre-tax savings account for family and medical leave.

Hack says her bill enables workers to plan for both unexpected illnesses and expected time off after pregnancy or planned surgery. And those who don't make much could still contribute a little bit, which could add up over time with an employer match, she said.

"There's an opportunity for everybody," she said.

As for those who don't expect to need money for medical leave then do, Hack acknowledged that it's difficult to plan for everything.

"But at the same time, I think we have a responsibility to try to plan ahead as best we can, no different than any type of insurance," she said.

Williamson, though, said it would take a worker years to save up enough to cover the time needed to care for a sick parent or a newborn.

"You can't plan for a loved one's medical emergency," she said in a statement. "By contrast, (our bill) is simple to use, is equitable, and would be available for every worker paying into the system when they need it."

Other measures

Pay equity is another bill that's gotten a lot of attention. House Bill 2005, sponsored by more than a dozen Democrats, would prohibit employers from basing a worker's salary on previous salaries. Instead, they would need to base salaries on those of employees doing "substantially similar" work.

Paluso said the primary goal is to raise wages for women, who are more likely to take pay cuts when returning to the workforce after having a baby or caring for family members.

The Senate is hearing a companion bill, Senate Bill 752.

Two other bills would expand workers' rights in more targeted ways. House Bill 2193 would protect on-call workers by forcing employers to pay their workers at least four hours' wages if the employer cancels or curtails a shift, and House Bill 3008 would make it illegal for an employer to falsify timecards.

Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, who chairs the House Labor Committee, said he hopes to pass bills that help workers and businesses alike. The successes in previous years doesn't mean Democrats should slow down on workers' rights bills, he said.

"I don't take issues off the table because we've accomplished something else," he said. "I'm always looking to improve Oregon for the people who live here. ... I think workers that are successful and can make a decent living are a huge bonus to our economy, and we should do everything we can to have that kind of economy."

-- Anna Marum

amarum@oregonian.com

503-294-5911

@annamarum