Almost 300 Portland City Workers Take Leave To Mourn George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, And Others

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Nearly 300 Portland employees have taken bereavement leave since Mayor Ted Wheeler encouraged city workers to take paid time off to grieve the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people killed by law enforcement or in apparent racist acts.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Bureau of Human Resources spokesperson Natasha Eberth says it’s unclear if the 295 employees who’ve requested 40 hours of paid leave since Wheeler’s June 8 email did so because of the mayor’s message.

She said the city doesn’t track why staff request bereavement leave.