An exhaustive, 110-page investigative report into allegations of discrimination from a former staff person of color has concluded that she experienced “racism, gender bias and microaggressions” on the job at the Oregon Employment Department.
The outside investigation sheds light on the racial and gender dynamics as a new division was taking shape under duress at the agency during the economic fallout of COVID-19.
Isela M. Ramos Gonzalez, an operations and policy analyst within OED’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Division, resigned in a terse email on Oct. 8, 2021. Ramos Gonzalez is Latina and a practicing attorney.
In her resignation, Ramos Gonzalez alleged “discrimination based on my race, ethnicity, and gender” and said she “experienced a hostile work environment.” In announcing she would leave the agency on Oct. 22, Gonzalez said her treatment signaled problems for the new division, saying the “environment, implementation and policy direction of PFMLI and OED are inconsistent with internal state policies, applicable laws, and democracy.”
Her message led to an outside investigation by the labor law firm Barran Liebman.
A year and a half later, Barran Liebman’s investigation details microaggressions and discriminatory practices that festered with little intervention by supervisors. The tensions only made life harder for program staff as they worked to set up a groundbreaking state program for supporting workers who needed paid time off to deal with personal or...
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