Worker-side labor law attorney Christina Stephenson, Oregon’s next labor commissioner, takes office next month. She’ll be in charge of enforcing civil rights and wage and hour laws, overseeing apprenticeship programs, and administering the prevailing wage in construction. The Labor Press called her up after her landslide Election Night victory to learn what’s on the top of her list.
What will be your first priority when you’re sworn into office in January 2023?
There’s no question that we have challenges in civil rights and wage and hour — quickly working through the those cases. But I’m also just really excited about potential in the apprenticeship program. I want us to strengthen partnerships with K-12 so that we can let kids know about this pathway earlier on. They can earn while they learn and not come out with a ton of debt. With the Future Ready Oregon money that was allocated to BOLI, there’s likely going to be several million dollars still to be allocated. [BOLI is Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries, the agency she’ll be in charge of.]
What do you think you’ll do differently than your predecessor?
It’s hard to know, honestly. My perspective is as someone who has utilized BOLI, as an employer to help my friends, and mostly to represent workers. So that’s a very specific perspective that I bring, having spent time with the agency in those ways. I come at the work of the agency as someone who has used it for many years. So that’s the big difference — I may think...
WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s years-long campaign to undermine faith in U.S. elections has gained broad traction with the American public, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows, p...