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
Governor Jay Inslee recently signed the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA or the Act), a sweeping worker protection bill recently passed by the state legislature. The Act amends the state’s worker’s compensation and...more
6/7/2021
/ Governor Inslee ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Workers Compensation Act
In response to last year’s groundbreaking decision by the Washington State Supreme Court in Martinez-Cuevas v. DeRuyter Bros. Dairy, Inc., the state legislature recently passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5172 (SB5172),...more
5/19/2021
/ Agribusiness ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Retroactive Application ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
WA Supreme Court ,
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
Since July 2018, Washington businesses have been operating under Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA). The EPOA, which significantly expanded the state’s 1943 Equal Pay Act, is one of the most stringent equal...more
On February 3, 2021, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signed into law a new ordinance requiring grocery employers to provide their employees an additional $4.00/hour in hazard pay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The law went into...more
2/18/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hazard Pay ,
Labor Law Violations ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour ,
Written Notice
One year after New York City did the same, Seattle enacted an ordinance in 2019 that guarantees a minimum wage for local rideshare drivers. Following an independent city-commissioned study that determined the exact amount...more
Recently enacted amendments to Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) will take effect on July 28, 2019. The Washington legislature passed the EPOA in March 2018, expanding Washington’s gender pay equity law for...more
7/24/2019
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Governor Inslee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour