NEWS RELEASE: BOLI Launches Thai Community Outreach

[Estabrook Bob]

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Commissioner Brad Avakian
Bureau of Labor & Industries


Press Release
For Immediate Distribution
October 15, 2012
CONTACT: Bob Estabrook, 503-709-0730

BOLI Launches Thai Community Outreach
Agency now accepting claims from former Typhoon! workers who faced discrimination

PORTLAND - The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is reaching out to the local Thai community to maximize the reach of information for former employees of Typhoon!, Inc., recruited from Thailand.  As part of BOLI's settlement with the now-defunct restaurant chain, a $100,000 settlement fund will remain open into 2013 to allow claims from workers harmed by Typhoon's employment practices.  Information about filing a claim will be shared directly with affected workers and disseminated broadly in the community.

"We're going to do all that we can to get this information into the hands of former Typhoon employees," said State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, chief of BOLI and the official who originally launched the probe of employment conditions<http://www.oregon.gov/boli/docs/09.08.10_boli_release_-_avakian_complaint_v_typhoon.pdf> at Typhoon.  "With some creative outreach on our part, we're hopeful that as many workers as possible will be able to benefit from the settlement fund."

BOLI staffers have generated claim forms and informational notices in English as well as Thai, all of which are available on BOLI's website<http://www.oregon.gov/boli/Pages/Typhoon-Fund.aspx>.  In addition to contacting known former employees directly, staffers from BOLI are reaching out to community resources where local Thais may turn seeking information, such as Buddhist temples and the Thai Consulate.  Word of mouth within the Thai community is expected to be a key factor in the successful outreach strategy.

"The employment agreements that Typhoon got their workers to sign did not encourage them to learn about their rights," Avakian added.  "Connecting former employees with the proceeds of this settlement fund is critical to compensating them for the pay and working condition disparities that they faced."

Visit www.oregon.gov/BOLI<http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI> for more information about all of BOLI's work to support
Oregon workers, local employers and a stronger economy.


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The mission of the Bureau of Labor and Industries is to protect employment rights, advance employment opportunities, and protect access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination.


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