In Port of Tacoma v. Sacks, the Court of Appeals of the State of Washington recently held that all out-of-town employee travel time is compensable under state law. The decision confirms the Washington State Department of...more
10/5/2021
/ Appeals ,
Compensation ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Travel Time ,
Traveling Employee ,
Wage and Hour ,
Washington
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) on May 11, 2021. HELSA went into effect immediately and applies to workplaces only during a declared public health emergency involving an...more
9/23/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Inslee ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety
On April 16, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the Washington Wage Recovery Act, allowing employees to place a lien on their employers’ property to secure unpaid wages.
The purpose of the law is to provide...more
6/24/2021
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Inslee ,
Liens ,
New Legislation ,
Property Liens ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
In 2019, Washington passed the first law in the nation requiring employees to fund a state-operated long-term care insurance program. The program, codified at RCW 50B.04 and set to begin on January 1, 2025, will be funded by...more
More than thirty years ago, the Washington Supreme Court ruled defense counsel may not engage in ex parte communications with a plaintiff’s treating physician. Loudon v. Mhyre, 110 Wn.2d 675, 676 (1988). The Loudon rule, as...more
12/22/2020
/ Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Privilege ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Ex-Parte Communications ,
Health Care Providers ,
Independent Contractors ,
Physician-Patient Confidentiality ,
Physicians ,
Privileged Communication ,
WA Supreme Court
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance, What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws, on September 8, 2020, to create a comprehensive guide for...more
9/22/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Confidentiality Policies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Discrimination ,
EEO ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Guidance Update ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Screening Procedures ,
Virus Testing
As new unemployment claims rise, impostors seek to scam the unemployment system at the cost of the state, employees, and employers. Here’s how to respond to, and lower the risk of, fraudulent unemployment claims.
Spike in...more