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Oregon lawmakers consider boost to service industry worker rights Thursday Feb 23, 2017 at 6:29 PM Feb 23, 2017 at 6:32 PM The Associated Press SALEM — Oregon lawmakers are considering proposals that'd give baristas, bartenders, seasonal workers and others in the state's service industry more control of their weekly schedules and guarantees of being paid despite scheduling issues. Under the proposals, certain employers would be required to honor employees' preferred work hours and post work schedules two weeks in advance or pay a penalty wage for any changes thereafter. Workers called in last-minute would also earn at least four hours' worth of wages if their bosses didn't allow them to work a full shift. The proposed legislation is backed largely by workers' rights groups and unions, which teamed up with the University of Oregon and Portland State University for a study on how workers' lives, finances and families are impacted by irregular work schedules. BOTTLE BILL Oregonians, hold off redeeming your sticky piles of empty bottles and cans for just a few more weeks. On April 1, their refundable deposit will be worth double what you paid. Oregon's longtime 5-cent deposit on bottles of beer and water and cans of soda paid at checkout will increase to 10 cents on that date, after several years of lagging redemption rates. A bill sailing through the Legislature mandates that, starting April 1, every can and bottle can be redeemed for a dime, regardless of when it was purchased or the deposit listed on the label. The Oregon House approved House Bill 2746 on a 55-2 vote Wednesday. It now heads to the Senate. The April 1 increase to 10 cents already had been put in place by earlier Oregon law. The bill clarifies the transition from 5 cents to 10 cents.