40% City workers haven’t returned to work

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Portland city officials want local businesses to stay downtown, but they can’t even persuade their employees to go back to work in person. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler issued a dictate to require city employees to work at least half-time in person starting in the spring, according to the Portland Business Journal. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, when many people were forced to work remotely, the city saw only 60 percent of its employees back on the job in person by July 2021. The remaining 40 percent show up in person only one day a week, according to Wheeler’s office. And a third of those say they’ll look for other jobs if they must report to work in person more than one day a week. The mayor also wants the City Council to require employees to live in Washington or Oregon.