Labor commissioner isn’t usually a headline-grabbing post.
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries may be best known as a civil rights watchdog that enforces anti-discrimination laws in housing, jobs, and places that serve the public. One past commissioner, Brad Avakian, made national news in 2015, when BOLI fined a Gresham bakery $135,000 for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple — a penalty that resulted in years of litigation. Many Oregonians still think of the Sweet Cakes by Melissa case when they think of BOLI.
But much of the agency’s work is more technical in nature. BOLI investigates wage and hours violations, for example. It trains employers on relevant laws, including civil rights protections for workers.
The agency also oversees registered apprenticeship programs — some of which will get a boost from $20 million out of the governor’s Future Ready Oregon package approved by the Legislature earlier this year.
Commissioner Val Hoyle, who succeeded Avakian, is leaving the office to run for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, a U.S. House seat opening created by the retirement of fellow Democrat, Rep. Peter DeFazio. During her one term, Hoyle prioritized increasing BOLI’s funding and staff in an effort to better handle the bureau’s various priorities of investigating civil rights, supporting businesses and workers, and expanding workforce opportunities.
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