(a) "Bona fide professional training program" includes any professional training program approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction pursuant to rules of the State Board of Education which provides for part-time employment training which may be scheduled for a part of the workday or workweek, for alternating weeks or for other limited periods during the year, supplemented by and integrated with a definitely organized plan of instruction designed to teach technical knowledge and related information given as a regular part of the student-learner’s course by an accredited school, college or university.

(b) "Student-learner" means a student who is receiving instruction in an accredited school, college or university and who is employed on a part-time basis, pursuant to a bona fide professional training program.

(2) Notwithstanding ORS 653.025, employers shall pay student-learners at least 75 percent of the minimum wage prescribed by ORS 653.025.

(3) The number of hours of employment training for a student-learner at subminimum wages, when added to the hours of school instruction, shall not exceed eight hours on any day or 40 hours in any week.

(4) The Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries may adopt rules prescribing the procedures and requirements for application and issuance of special certificates authorizing the employment of student-learners at subminimum wages. The rules shall require that the following conditions be satisfied before the issuance of such special certificates:

(a) The employment of the student-learner at subminimum wages authorized by the special certificate must be necessary to prevent curtailment of opportunities for employment.

(b) The occupation for which the student-learner is receiving preparatory training must require a sufficient degree of skill to necessitate a substantial learning period.

(c) The training must not be for the purpose of acquiring manual dexterity and high production speed in repetitive operations.

(d) The employment of a student-learner must not have the effect of displacing a worker employed in the establishment.

(e) The employment of the student-learners at subminimum wages must not tend to impair or depress the wage rates or working standards established for experienced workers for work of a like or comparable character.

(f) The occupational needs of the community or industry warrant the training of student-learners.

(g) There are no serious outstanding violations of the provisions of a student-learner certificate previously issued to the employer, or serious violations of any other provisions of law by the employer which provide reasonable grounds to conclude that the terms of the certificate would not be complied with, if issued.

(h) The issuance of such a certificate would not tend to prevent the development of apprenticeship under ORS 660.002 to 660.210 or would not impair established apprenticeship standards in the occupation or industry involved.

(i) The number of student-learners to be employed in one establishment must not be more than a small proportion of its working force.

(5) Failure to comply with subsection (2) or (3) of this section shall subject the employer to a penalty of 75 percent of the minimum wage prescribed by ORS 653.025 for each hour of work time that the student-learner is gainfully employed. The Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries shall have a cause of action against the employer for the recovery of the penalty. [1979 c.886 §5; 1981 c.850 §3; 1989 c.491 §62; 1995 c.343 §50]

Note: 653.070 was added to and made a part of ORS chapter 653 by legislative action but was not added to any smaller series therein. See Preface to Oregon Revised Statutes for further explanation.