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Wages & Employment Classifications

What to understand about employee wages
and employment classifications.

ABOUT WAGES

  • Employees are allowed (under law) to openly discuss their own wages or the wages of other employees with others. An exception applies to employees who have access to employee wage information as part of their job duties (i.e., HR/Payroll).

  • Employees may not have the wages they agreed to at the time of hire reduced without their permission.

  • In 2024, Oregon does not require piece-rate employees to be paid additional compensation for rest breaks.

  • Overtime pay is calculated on the working hours over a 7-day workweek, not a pay period.

  • Employers in Oregon may not round employee working hours recorded by a time clock unless the rounding is always in the employee's favor.

  •  Employees must be able to opt-out of Direct Deposit or Pay Card options without cost.

PAYCHECK STUB INFORMATION

The following information must be on each employee's paycheck stub:

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            •           Date of the payment

            •           Dates of work covered by the payment

            •           Name of the employee

            •           Name of the employer

            •           Business registry number or Business Identification Number (BIN) of the employer

            •           Employer address and telephone number

            •           Employee's rate of pay

            •           Whether employee is paid by hour, shift, day, or week, or on a salary, piece rate, or commission

            •           Total gross wages

            •           Net wages

            •           Deductions and their amounts and purposes

            •           Minimum wage allowances that are claimed to contribute toward the minimum wage

            •           Regular hourly rate of pay, any overtime rate of pay

            •           The number of regular hours worked, and the number of overtime hours worked

            •           The piece rate or rates of pay, the number of piece rate units completed at each piece rate, and the total pay at each 

                         rate.

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OVERTIME PAY IN AGRICULTURE

2024

Overtime pay of one and one-half their regular rate of pay is due to agricultural employees when they work more than 55 hours in a 7-day workweek.

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2025

Overtime pay of one and one-half their regular rate of pay is is due to agricultural employees when they work more than 48 hours in a 7-day workweek.

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2027

Overtime pay of one and one-half their regular rate of pay is is due to agricultural employees when they work more than 40 hours in a 7-day workweek.

PAYING NON-AGRICULTUAL WORK

Employees who perform non-agricultural work in any workweek are to be paid overtime when they work more than 40 hours in a 7-day workweek.  In any work week when there is a blend of ag work with non-ag work (regardless how slight), the 40-hour overtime pay threshold applies.

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Examples of non-agricultural work:  working on a crop or equipment their employer does not own; working in  a retail stand that sells product(s) the farm did not grow or raise (i.e., bottled water); working with a commodity brought to the farm that is turned around and sold in the near future rather than grown on and substantially changed; working in a winery or other food processing facility other than  a packing shed located on the farm washing/packing the whole foods grown by the farm. 

Employment Classifications & Benefits

Employees are usually grouped into different Employment Classifications, which dictate their work schedules and employment benefits. All employees within the same classification must have equal access to the same benefits, but classifications may offer different employment benefits.  In other words, Management employees may receive different employment benefits from Regular, Year-round full-time employees but all employees within the Management classification must have equal opportunity to receive those benefits. ​Typical Employment Classifications include: Management - employees in charge of a department or region. Employment benefits typically include health/dental insurance, retirement plan, company vehicle, extended vacation time or paid time off (PTO) Regular, Year-round, full time -  employees who work at least 40 hours per week year-round on a continuing basis. Employment benefits may (or may not) include health insurance, retirement plan, vacation time or PTO. Regular, Year-round, part time - employees  who may work year-round but on a part-time basis. Typical employment benefits are prorated in proportion to the weekly work schedule. Seasonal/Temporary - employees who work full-time for a season or two, or on a temporary basis, but not year-round. Typical benefits are limited to those required by law. Inactive - employees who are on an approved leave of absence (Workers' Compensation, Paid Leave Oregon, etc.) Typically, employment benefits suspend unless prohibited by law.

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