With the close of the 2025 Washington state legislative session, it is time to review the new employment laws and amendments that will affect businesses operating in Washington. Many of these changes take effect on July 27,...more
7/28/2025
/ Criminal Records ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Job Applicants ,
Layoffs ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington
Key Takeaways -
- The Washington state mini-WARN law, effective July 27, 2025, requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide 60 days' advance written notice of mass layoffs or business closures to the Washington...more
6/12/2025
/ Covered Employer ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Enforcement ,
Layoffs ,
Medical Leave ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Penalties ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington
Key Takeaways -
- A new law in Washington requires all employers, regardless of their size, to have pregnancy and postpartum accommodations in place for their employees by 2027.
- The required accommodations include paid...more
5/29/2025
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Covered Employer ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Enforcement ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Pregnancy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington
Washington's Equal Pay and Opportunity Act (EPOA) is a hot topic in Washington state, with well over 100 class-action lawsuits filed under the law in the past 18 months.
In short, the EPOA requires employers to disclose...more
11/1/2024
/ Administrative Interpretation ,
Class Action ,
Disclosure ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Job Ads ,
Job Applicants ,
Judicial Interpretation ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Washington
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries announced that Washington’s minimum wage, which is tied to inflation, will increase from $16.28 to $16.66 starting in 2025. Many local jurisdictions have higher minimum...more
In Androckitis v. Virginia Mason Medical Center, the Washington State Court of Appeals recently held that the remedy for meal period violations includes three components: (1) payment of time worked during the meal period;...more
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law Substitute House Bill 1905 on March 28, 2024, broadening the scope of Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA)....more
4/30/2024
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Governor Inslee ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Washington
Multiple new laws will take effect in Washington state beginning January 2024, bringing changes to the state’s minimum wage laws and adding requirements under the state’s Paid Sick Leave Law. ...more
Beginning in 2024, both Washington and California will prohibit employers from basing hiring decisions on an applicant’s legal marijuana use.
What Is Prohibited?
Effective January 1, 2024, employers are prohibited...more
11/20/2023
/ Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Screening Procedures ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Beginning in 2024, both Washington and California will prohibit employers from basing hiring decisions on an applicant’s legal marijuana use.
What Is Prohibited?
Effective January 1, 2024, employers are prohibited...more
11/17/2023
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Cannabis Products ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Inslee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Screening Procedures ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Washington
Connecticut Paid Sick and Safe Leave was expanded to add two additional permitted uses, effective October 1, 2023.
Connecticut Paid Sick and Safe Leave -
Connecticut Paid Sick and Safe Leave originally went into...more
California’s Civil Rights Council (the Council), a branch of the California Civil Rights Department, issued proposed revisions, earlier this year, to the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) regulations governing an...more
On May 24, 2023, the state of Minnesota enacted a labor bill (SF 3035) that prohibits employers’ use of noncompetes, effective July 1, 2023. The ban does not apply retroactively to noncompetes signed prior to July 1, 2023....more
Following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has finally revisited its indoor heat illness prevention standard (the Standard)....more
4/18/2023
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Heat Exposure ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
The Seattle City Council became the first U.S. jurisdiction to identify caste as a protected class under its Human Rights Code on February 21, 2023, when it passed CB 120511, “An Ordinance Relating to Human Rights; Including...more
Multiple new laws took effect in Washington at the beginning of the year, including several that increased the minimum wage in various locations across the state. ...more
The Illinois legislature, on January 10, 2023, passed the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLFAW), which Governor Pritzker announced he will sign into law. Should the bill be enacted, Illinois would become the third state...more
The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (the CROWN Act or the Act) went into effect in Louisiana on August 1, 2022. The CROWN Act prohibits employment discrimination based on hairstyles and hair textures...more
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the Silenced No More Act (Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1795) on March 24, 2022, making Washington the second state in the nation after California to prohibit employers from...more
4/6/2022
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Governor Inslee ,
Independent Contractors ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Pre-Employment Agreements ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Washington
Washington Governor Jay Inslee, on March 30, 2022, signed into law amendments to the state’s Equal Pay and Opportunity Act (EPOA Amendments), which soon will require most Washington employers to include pay ranges and...more
4/4/2022
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Governor Inslee ,
Job Applicants ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Transparency ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Washington
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
Overview of ESD Audits -
The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) audits records of employers located in Washington to confirm that wages and hours are accurately reported and to ensure compliance with the...more
10/5/2021
/ Audits ,
Best Practices ,
Compliance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Independent Contractors ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour ,
Washington
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