News

The Oregon Health Authority announced that it would rescind the indoor masking rule for employers no later than March 31. The rule could be relaxed sooner if hospitalization numbers drop.

OBI is well-positioned to expand over the next two years, adding members across the state and focusing on small businesses and those in underrepresented sectors. The organization’s work is more necessary now than ever.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 13 blocked enforcement of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for large employers. It left in place a mandate for those who work in health care facilities.

I had the distinct pleasure of moderating a manufacturing panel discussion earlier this month during the 19th Annual Oregon Leadership Summit. This year’s theme was Building Opportunity, which set the stage our panelists’ discussion about ways we can build opportunities for Oregon’s manufacturing employers and workers.

Celebrating the Launch of Oregon’s 10-Year Innovation Plan By Karen Vineyard, chair, OBI board of directors Earlier this month, OBI hosted a discussion with Business Oregon and members of the Futures Commission to discuss the key takeaways and initiatives coming out of Oregon’s new 10-Year Innovation Plan, as well as the ways the plan can support OBI members…

Nov. 4, 2021 OSHA Releases Rule Requiring Large Private Employers to Mandate Vaccines On Thursday federal OSHA  released the anticipated rule mandating vaccinations for all employees at private businesses with 100 or more employees. Employees will have until January 4, 2022 to be vaccinated or begin weekly testing. Employers are required to provide paid time off…

As fall settles in and we begin to look toward the holidays and the new year, our team at OBI is taking time to appreciate the resilience of our members and the state’s business community.

OBI Celebrates Oregon Manufacturing Sector Continued Statewide Burden on Businesses Jeopardize Economic Health for These and Other Employers By Karen Vineyard, chair, OBI board of directors As we wind down summer and continue down a somewhat uncertain path of recovery from the global pandemic, our team at OBI continues to find opportunities to not only…

“As I transition into the role, my first priority is to connect with our members so that I can understand what is top of mind for them, but I also want to connect with our partners and the many other stakeholders who help shape the environment for business and industry in the state. I have a lot of listening to do, and I look forward to taking what I bring to the role and what I learn in the role and working with the board to create a long-term vision for OBI.”

Gov. Kate Brown announced she plans to reinstate a statewide mask requirement for all indoor public settings, including businesses, regardless of vaccination status. The new mandate comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations break records throughout the state due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

“These tremendous honorees represent our state’s unlimited potential,” said OBI Board Chair Karen Vineyard. “Each of them – through their professional work as well as community service – have shown their dedication to shared prosperity and opportunity for all Oregonians. They have set aside individual interests and traditional political allegiances to bring Oregonians from all walks of life together around a common set of values. We are grateful to honor these true Oregon visionaries at OBI’s biggest event of the year.”

A key part of Biden’s agenda, the bipartisan bill is the first phase of the president’s infrastructure plan. It calls for $550 billion in new spending over five years above projected federal levels, what could be one of the more substantial expenditures on the nation’s roads, bridges, waterworks, broadband and the electric grid in years.

On Aug. 2, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published temporary workplace rules related to heat and labor housing, and wildfire smoke. The rules go into effect Monday, Aug. 9 and will remain in effect for 180 days while work on a permanent rule continues.

It’s clear to me – and to my fellow board members – that OBI is stronger than it’s ever been. And that’s thanks largely to our incredible staff, who work each day to ensure that our voices are heard in Salem, and that Oregon’s amazing businesses have a place to convene and celebrate the strength of our community.

Your OBI team went into this session with a very straightforward policy agenda approved by our board of directors: we wanted lawmakers to refrain from enacting major new taxes and regulations so that Oregon businesses would have an opportunity to recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID pandemic.

“In more than 15 years working with the Oregon Legislature, I have never seen a session like this one,” said Paloma Sparks, vice president of government affairs at OBI. “While the COVID precautions and virtual process made direct advocacy more challenging for everyone, our voice on behalf of Oregon businesses was heard.”

Today, OBI joined 25 other chambers and association partners urging Gov. Brown and the Legislature to consider using American Rescue Plan funds to create an incentive program aimed at encouraging people to accept work rather than relying on continued unemployment benefits. Read the full letter here.

The problems we face are only getting more complex and intertwined, which means the solutions must be more comprehensive and creative. In other words, we need more Oregonians with a vision. In her monthly column, OBI Chair Karen Vineyard makes a big announcement about one of our most cherished traditions at OBI.

“The latest CDC guidance is welcome news for vaccinated Oregonians, and hopefully will encourage those who have yet to get their vaccine to sign up for an appointment as soon as possible,” said Sandra McDonough, president & CEO of OBI.

Gov. Brown announced on May 11 that she will fully reopen the state once the vaccine rate (adults 16+ with the first dose) hits 70% statewide. “Fully reopen” means risk levels will be eliminated, and businesses can return to normal operations, although mask and distancing requirements may continue. The governor said the state can hit that goal by late June with additional efforts to encourage broader vaccination.

“We appreciate that the governor is allowing these Oregon businesses to reopen,” said Sandra McDonough, OBI’s president and CEO. “Hopefully, this will be the end of the COVID business closures and we will move swiftly to fully reopening our state’s economy.”

This week, Gov. Kate Brown announced that 15 of Oregon’s 36 counties would be moving into the “extreme risk” category due to rising COVID cases. Under the state’s emergency plan, that means several businesses in those counties now face curtailing operations or shutting down altogether – yet again.

Following a decade of robust population growth, Oregon will receive a new congressional seat for the first time in 40 years, the U.S. Census Bureau announced on Monday.

We have reached half time in the 2021 legislative session. Controlling the ball has not been easy, so for us this is a largely game of defense.

Gov. Brown announced today that she is accelerating the timeline for vaccine distribution in Oregon, moving earlier-defined priority groups sooner on the timeline and clarifying that all Oregonians 16 and older will be eligible to receive shots by May 1. The new timeline is as follows: March 22: Migrant and seasonal farmworkers in counties where they are already…

Late yesterday, the Oregon Department of Revenue announced that the deadline for individual returns for tax year 2020 would be extended to May 17, 2021. The previous deadline was April 15. The announcement comes as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced an extension for federal returns to the same date, May 17. Individual taxpayers do…

OBI joined more than 40 other organizations to successfully oppose the -1 amendment to HB 2457, a concept that would require forgiven PPP loan amounts be added back as “taxable income” for Oregon businesses that used the program exactly the way it was intended.

Today, after several weeks of negotiations, Congress completed work on a sweeping $1.9 trillion stimulus package called the American Rescue Plan. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill soon. The bill provides significant assistance to individual taxpayers, businesses and state and local government. However, despite advocacy from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and…

Gov. Kate Brown announced that Oregonians in the agricultural and food processing industries will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning March 29, the first step toward extending vaccination eligibility more broadly to frontline workers.

Recent Oregonian/OregonLive stories about a proposal to cancel state tax breaks included in the federal CARES Act focus on how these breaks benefit the “top 1%” in Oregon ­– Oregonians who earn more than $500,000 or businesses with revenue of more than $25 million.

As a broad-based and statewide business association in Oregon, OBI has members in all four corners of our state, representing virtually every industry you can think of and employing individuals who are representative of the rich diversity of Oregon’s population.

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday that the 2.5 million women who have left the work force since the beginning of the pandemic constituted a “national emergency” that could be addressed by the Biden administration’s coronavirus relief plan.

Thousands of Oregonians remain unemployed, businesses shuttered, and family incomes unstable. The public health impacts from COVID-19 top most Oregonians’ list of concerns. And even with a vaccine beginning to roll out, the end of the pandemic is likely many months away.

“Your OBI board knows businesses are experiencing unprecedented stress, and to understand it better we did a survey of our 1,600+ members to hear what is on your minds – and what matters most as we climb out of this COVID-19 recession.” — Board Chair, Karen Vineyard

With Election Day 2020 is behind us, the new political landscape in Oregon has come into focus.

Oregon Businesses Are Facing Unprecedented Tax Burden.

“In my August column I wrote about what a challenging year this has been – a global pandemic, nationwide social unrest, a deep economic recession. And now, unimaginably, our beloved state has faced yet another crisis of historic proportions: September wildfires that devastated communities; destroying homes, businesses, and livelihoods.”

August marked my eighth month as your Oregon Business & Industry chair. I stepped into this role knowing that it would be an interesting challenge leading Oregon’s broadest statewide business organization, but I never could have predicted what would be on our table today: A global pandemic, the deepest recession in almost a century, and a long-overdue national reckoning about racial equity.

The economic impacts from COVID-19 are staggering. This is not news to any OBI member, and, indeed, I have written about these impacts in this column in previous months.

Over the last few weeks, we have heard more about Juneteenth, and this year, perhaps more than any other, I hope we will all take a moment not just to mark this historic milestone, but also to reflect on the tremendous challenges still facing our nation in dealing with racial and economic inequities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the private sector incredibly hard. Indeed, economists noted that the current COVID-19 recession is the worst since the Great Depression.

My first few months as your OBI Board Chair have been marked by a public health crisis of unprecedented magnitude. Since the first case of the novel coronavirus in Oregon was confirmed, our communities have been enveloped in chaos, fear and uncertainty.

The coronavirus situation is swiftly evolving in Oregon, the nation, and worldwide. This week Gov. Kate Brown issued statewide orders aimed to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Links to resources, websites and fliers to get you the latest information on Coronavirus and tips dealing with potential outbreaks at your business.

Tillamook County Creamery Association’s roots in Oregon are wide and deep. It expands to 80 farmer-owners, to 900-plus employees making cheese and more, and to communities across the country who are experiencing Tillamook products.

Greetings OBI members! I am very excited to serve as your new OBI Board chair. It is an honor to lead this organization and represent all of you, our members representing all regions, industries and people of the beautiful state of Oregon.

Things are bright for manufacturing in Oregon. The sector is growing, increasing jobs and wages for Oregon workers.

In the 2019 Oregon Legislature, lawmakers are proposing tax increases to fund $2 billion toward education. This proposal does not take into account the skyrocketing cost of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), which will likely eat up much of any new revenue generated from new taxes  proposed this year.

Oregon legislators are looking to boost education funding by $2 billion through tax increases on the business community.