The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) released its third annual State of the Worker Report, providing a transparent look at the conditions facing Oregon workers and the agency’s progress in rebuilding Oregon’s employment and civil rights enforcement system after decades of underinvestment.
These annual reports are part of BOLI’s commitment to accountability, giving Oregonians clear insight into where the agency is making gains, where challenges persist, and what they can expect as BOLI continues working to deliver fast, fair, and reliable enforcement.
This year’s report shows that recent investments have begun to turn the tide. After years in which workers waited for wage theft investigations and civil rights complaints to be reviewed, Oregon has started restoring the enforcement capacity needed to deliver timely justice.
Key metrics from the report include:
- More than $20 million returned to Oregon workers since the beginning of the Stephenson Administration in January 2023.
- Over $9 million resolved through BOLI’s new Alternative Dispute Resolution program, offering fast, fair settlements often completed within months instead of years.
- More than $1.5 million in meal and rest break damages back to hospital workers in the first year of BOLI’s new Hospital Staffing Unit.
- More than 50 new staff being hired following the 2025 investment — the largest staffing increase in agency history — helping stabilize long‑strained divisions.
- A 60 percent reduction of our Wage and Hour Intake backlog since its peak in October 2024.
- A nearly 75 percent reduction of our Civil Rights Intake backlog since its peak in February 2025.
The report also outlines emerging threats to this hard-won progress. A lawsuit filed by business groups challenges the sustainable funding mechanism conceptualized by a bipartisan, bicameral workgroup and approved by the Legislature in 2026. If the lawsuit is successful, and if lawmakers do not move quickly to replace the funding, Oregon faces the risk of returning to the delays, closures, and capacity constraints that defined the agency for decades.
“Protecting workers has always required persistence and dedication in the face of adversity to those efforts. This lawsuit is just one more hurdle we must overcome to ensure Oregonians can count on the laws on the books to protect them,” said Commissioner Christina Stephenson.
BOLI remains committed to transparency about both its progress and its challenges. This year’s report makes clear how recent investments are being used, the measurable results they have produced, and what is at stake if Oregon’s enforcement system is destabilized. As the agency continues to modernize operations, reduce backlogs, and strengthen core protections, BOLI will keep releasing these reports so workers, employers, lawmakers, and the public can see precisely where the agency stands and where it is headed.
“We release these reports every year because Oregonians deserve to see exactly where the system is working, where it is strained, and what we are doing to fix it,” said Commissioner Stephenson. “Transparency builds trust, and we believe accountability is a cornerstone of public service.”
BOLI’s commitment is simple: We will continue showing our work. Oregonians deserve an employment and civil rights enforcement system that is fast, thorough, and responsive. This report reflects the Bureau’s determination to deliver the results Oregon workers and employers deserve—and its resolve to protect the progress made through years of sustained effort.
Led by Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson, the Bureau of Labor and Industries protects employment rights, advances employment opportunities, and protects access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination for all Oregonians. If you believe you have been denied your rights at work or in public spaces, you can file a complaint online.
