Portland General Electric Co. v. Bureau of Labor and Industries
Supreme Court of Oregon
859 P.2d 1143 (1993)
Portland General Electric Company (PGE), an employer, denied an employee's request to use accrued paid sick leave as part of the parental leave he was authorized to take under Oregon's Parental Leave Law, ORS 659.360. PGE relied on the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, which set its own conditions for sick-leave eligibility that the employee had not met. The employee filed a complaint with the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), which determined that PGE's denial constituted an unlawful employment practice because ORS 659.360(3) entitles an employee taking parental leave to use accrued sick leave regardless of separate eligibility conditions in a collective bargaining agreement. The Court of Appeals affirmed BOLI's order, and PGE petitioned the Oregon Supreme Court for review.
Whether courts must examine the text and context of a statute to interpret it in a way that gives effect to the legislature's intent.