Trail Blazing in Rip City
Portage is heading to Portland! On March 10, 2020, Jon will be speaking about workplace drug testing and employee substance use at the National Academy of Arbitrators' Pacific Northwest Region Annual Meeting at the World Trade Center in Portland, Oregon.
Drug testing, including workplace drug testing, is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. Compulsory drug testing programs began spreading in the public and private sectors in the U.S. in the mid-1980s, following the implementation of mandatory testing for all federal government employees.
Unfortunately for American employers, there's no compelling scientific evidence supporting the utility and effectiveness of workplace drug testing and abstinence monitoring programs, which are largely the product of stigma and discrimination. In March, Jon will bring this message to lawyers and arbitrators from across the U.S., and will discuss other, less invasive and more efficacious and cost-effective options for protecting and promoting workplace safety and productivity.