Effective January 1, 2014, Oregon will become the first state to
require certain private sector employers to provide bereavement
leave to their covered employees. The new law amends the
Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and applies to employers and
employees already covered under that Act.
OFLA applies to employers with 25 or more employees working in
Oregon during each working day of 20 or more calendar workweeks in
the year in which leave will be taken, or in the preceding
year. While OFLA is unpaid leave, companies that allow
employees to use their paid sick leave for qualifying OFLA events
would be required to pay under their sick leave
policies.1
To be eligible to take bereavement leave, employees must have
worked for a covered employer for a period of 180 calendar days
immediately preceding the date that the requested leave
begins. The employee must have worked an average of 25 hours
per week during the 180 day period.
