Manufacturing, cannery, and processing sectors represent critical components of labor law, containing highly specific state legislative modifications designed to protect factory workers from fatigue.
Oregon has a very unique and highly debated overtime law specifically for mills, factories, canneries, and manufacturing establishments. Under Oregon law (ORS 652.020):
• **Daily Overtime:** Owed for any hours worked over **10 hours** in a single workday.
• **Weekly Overtime:** Owed for any hours worked over **40 hours** in a single workweek.
• **The Greater of Method:** The employer **must calculate both** daily and weekly overtime for the week, and pay the employee **whichever calculation yields the greater number of overtime hours**. They do not add them together!
For example, if you work four 12-hour days (48 hours total):
• Daily Overtime = 2 hours/day × 4 days = **8 overtime hours**.
• Weekly Overtime = 48 hours - 40 hours = **8 overtime hours**.
• In this case, both are equal, so you are owed 8 overtime hours.
• If you worked three 14-hour days (42 hours total):
— Daily Overtime = 4 hours/day × 3 days = **12 overtime hours**.
— Weekly Overtime = 42 hours - 40 hours = **2 overtime hours**.
— **Greater of** = **12 overtime hours** (you are paid 12 hours overtime under Oregon law, even though your total weekly hours were only 42!).
To prevent exhaustion, Oregon places strict weekly hours limits on manufacturing jobs:
• **55-Hour Weekly Cap:** Manufacturing employees are capped at working a maximum of 55 hours in a single workweek.
• **60-Hour Exception:** An employee can volunteer to work up to 60 hours, but only if they submit a written consent agreement, and the employer complies with strict recordkeeping rules. Any hours over 55 (or 60) represent a direct labor law violation!