(1) An employer may not by special contract or any other means exempt the employer from any provision of or liability or penalty imposed by ORS 652.310 to 652.414 or any statute relating to the payment of wages, except insofar as the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries in writing approves a special contract or other arrangement between the employer and one or more of the employer’s employees. The commissioner may not give approval unless the commissioner finds that such contract or arrangement will not prejudicially affect the interest of the public or of the employees involved, and the commissioner may at any time retract such approval, first giving the employer not less than 30 days’ notice in writing.
(2) A settlement between an employer and an employee of a known and identified claim arising under ORS 652.310 to 652.414 or any statute relating to the payment of wages does not require the commissioner’s approval if the settlement does not provide for the employee to relinquish a claim for additional or future violations.