Oregon Fair Workweek Law: what employers must do
Oregon · effective since 2017 · covers Retail, hospitality, food service
The short version
Oregon is the only US state with a statewide Fair Workweek (predictive scheduling) law: large retail, hospitality and food-service employers must post schedules 14 days in advance, pay one hour of predictability pay for most employer changes, and pay 1.5× for back-to-back shifts under 10 hours apart.
Below: the advance-notice window, predictability-pay formula, access-to-hours rule, coverage threshold and penalties — each with a dated source.
Not sure these apply to your business? Run the free coverage checker →
The five obligations
Advance schedule notice · 14 days
Covered employers must give each employee a written work schedule at least 14 calendar days before the first shift on it (the notice window started at 7 days in 2017 and rose to 14 days on July 1, 2025). New employees must also receive a written good-faith estimate of the median number of hours they can expect each month and whether they will be placed on the voluntary standby list.
Predictability pay · 1 hour added; ½ rate for hours cut
For each employer-requested change made without 14 days' notice, the worker is owed one hour of pay at their regular rate (in addition to wages earned) when the employer adds more than 30 minutes, moves the shift's date/start/end with no loss of hours, or adds a work or on-call shift. When the employer cuts hours, moves the shift with a loss of hours, cancels a shift, or does not call in an on-call worker, the worker is owed one-half their regular rate for each scheduled hour not worked.
Access to hours · Voluntary standby list (no mandatory offer-to-staff)
Oregon does not require employers to offer open shifts to existing staff first. Instead it allows a 'voluntary standby list' of employees who agree to be contacted to cover extra hours; an employee on the standby list is not owed predictability pay when they accept additional hours they requested to be available for.
Who is covered · 500+ employees worldwide (retail, hospitality, food service)
Applies to employers in retail, hospitality or food-service that employ 500 or more people worldwide. Workers supplied by a worker-leasing company and exempt salaried employees are excluded.
Penalties for non-compliance · BOLI civil penalties + the predictability pay owed
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) enforces the law through wage claims and complaints: a worker can recover the predictability pay owed plus civil penalties assessed by BOLI for violations. Unlike the city ordinances, Oregon's statute does not set a single fixed per-violation dollar figure on its face — penalties are assessed through the BOLI enforcement process.
Rest between shifts / “clopening”
No 'clopening' within 10 hours: an employee may not be scheduled during the first 10 hours after a previous shift; if they consent to work it, those hours are paid at 1.5× the regular rate.
The part the vendor guides bury
Oregon is unique: it is the only STATEWIDE predictive-scheduling law in the country (every other jurisdiction is a single city or county), and it preempts local ordinances, so a 500-plus-employee chain operates under one rule across the whole state. The other quirk employers miss is that Oregon uses a 'voluntary standby list' instead of the mandatory access-to-hours rule that NYC, Chicago, SF and Seattle impose.
Building the schedule this applies to?
Lay out the rota first with our free, no-signup employee schedule maker or a weekly schedule template — then post it inside Oregon's advance-notice window so you never owe predictability pay.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance must employers post schedules in Oregon?
Covered employers must give each employee a written work schedule at least 14 calendar days before the first shift on it (the notice window started at 7 days in 2017 and rose to 14 days on July 1, 2025). New employees must also receive a written good-faith estimate of the median number of hours they can expect each month and whether they will be placed on the voluntary standby list.
What is predictability pay in Oregon?
For each employer-requested change made without 14 days' notice, the worker is owed one hour of pay at their regular rate (in addition to wages earned) when the employer adds more than 30 minutes, moves the shift's date/start/end with no loss of hours, or adds a work or on-call shift. When the employer cuts hours, moves the shift with a loss of hours, cancels a shift, or does not call in an on-call worker, the worker is owed one-half their regular rate for each scheduled hour not worked.
Which employers does the Oregon fair workweek law cover?
Applies to employers in retail, hospitality or food-service that employ 500 or more people worldwide. Workers supplied by a worker-leasing company and exempt salaried employees are excluded.
What are the penalties for violating the Oregon fair workweek law?
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) enforces the law through wage claims and complaints: a worker can recover the predictability pay owed plus civil penalties assessed by BOLI for violations. Unlike the city ordinances, Oregon's statute does not set a single fixed per-violation dollar figure on its face — penalties are assessed through the BOLI enforcement process.
Sources
https://www.oregon.gov/boli/workers/pages/predictive-scheduling.aspx
https://www.oregon.gov/boli/employers/Documents/BOLI_Printable_Predictive_Scheduling.pdf
https://www.workforce.com/news/predictive-scheduling-laws
This page is cited public information, not legal or compliance advice. Whether the Oregon fair workweek law applies to you depends on your industry, headcount and locations, and the ordinance changes. Always confirm current obligations with the jurisdiction before posting schedules.