Imagine you are a property owner or manager over any number of
properties. You hire various service providers to perform services
such as landscaping, security, cleaning, etc. Moreover, you run a
tight ship, timely paying the full amounts due to each service
provider. Now, imagine one day you open your mail and see a demand
for wages for an employee of your janitorial service provider. You
know you paid the service provider, so why would you be on the hook
for its employees' wage claims?
Due to a recent change to Oregon law, janitorial service providers in
Oregon must obtain a license from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and
Industries ("BOLI"). Correspondingly, property owners or
managers that hire unlicensed janitorial service providers face
potentially severe penalties, including:
- Joint and several liability for unpaid wages, employee claims of retaliation and discrimination, and related penalties
- Civil penalties imposed by BOLI
- Attorney fees related to all of the above
With these penalties at risk, and a case against a janitorial
service provider already reaching litigation, property owners and managers are on
notice to take action to protect themselves. In a separate article, we provide more detail on
these revised laws and suggestions on how property owners and
managers can react.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
