This news account of a teenager’s serious injury at a North Portland Junkyard suggests that one or more participants didn’t get their stories straight. Were the teens working for the company, or were they merely operating the yard’s front-end loader and other heavy equipment without being paid on the payroll?

It doesn’t really matter. The account and various quotes provide another reminder that teenagers often fail to appreciate risk. That’s part of the reason why we have child labor laws. Children often can’t understand or fully appreciate the risk of injury from work.
Front-end loaders, car shredders and other large machines do amazing work. But safety isn’t something trusted to a teenager’s common sense. Seems like the owners of the yard have some explaining to do. It looks like these kids were engaged in child labor on the payroll, or they were working under the table. Neither possibility reflects well on the owner and manager of the yard.

Let’s at least hope that the injured teen heals fully and recovers his health.

David Sugerman

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed suit in federal court in Portland on behalf of several female employees who claim to have been sexually harassed at Fred Meyer’s Oregon City store. Here is the url to the news report: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23358954

According to news reports, the EEOC claims that Fred Meyer managers sexually harassed several female employees and then retaliated against the employees when they complained.

I suppose some might be critical that the government agency that is supposed to enforce discrimination laws filed suit. But speaking as someone who represents employees, it’s refreshing to see that the EEOC is enforcing employment discrimination laws.

David F. Sugerman