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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW OIT president stepping down ... RVTD debuts emergency ride home program ... Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber says he's looking for work ... OIT president stepping down ... RVTD debuts emergency ride home program ... Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber says he's looking for work ... Local governments discuss suing Oregon over minimum wage law Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 16, 2016 at 8:09 PM Posted Mar. 16, 2016 at 8:09 PM » Social News EUGENE (AP) — Local officials in Oregon are considering suing the state over a recent increase to the minimum wage and other labor laws. Some county leaders say the wage increase and a 2015 law requiring paid sick leave amount to unfunded mandates to local governments, reported The Register-Guard. Under the Oregon Constitution, the Legislature must provide funding to cities or counties if it requires new programs or increased service. It's unclear whether the language applies to labor policies, and it has yet to be tested in court. The state didn't provide money to cover the new worker-friendly laws. Most local employees are paid more than minimum wage and already have sick days, but the policies do mean some additional costs for local governments. Most of the cost will come from compensating low-level part-time and seasonal workers. Cities and counties also argue that a higher minimum wage will drive up the wages of higher-paid employees. The Lane County Board of Commissioners is considering joining the lawsuit originally proposed by Linn County officials. "At this point in time, I don't know how I personally feel about it," Lane County Commissioner Sid Leiken said. "But ... if there's truly an unfunded mandate, it's worth at least looking into it." But Commissioner Pete Sorenson, the board's only Democrat, opposed joining the suit. "It would be a bad thing if we got involved in fighting the state over the protections that are afforded by Oregon's minimum wage law," he said. Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist said in an interview Tuesday that about six other counties have expressed an interest in joining the lawsuit, but he declined to say when he expects it to be filed. Linn County at first threatened to simply ignore the new wage law, but Nyquist said Tuesday that approach is now unlikely. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 16, 2016 at 8:09 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501