As we discussed in a previous blog post, the Washington State minimum wage increased to $16.66 per hour on January 1, 2025. This new state wage also impacts the salary levels for the white-collar exemptions from the minimum...more
Washington State has announced its new minimum wage, exempt salary level, and other compensation levels for 2025. All of the following will be in effect as of January 1, 2025: Washington State minimum wage: $16.66 per hour....more
Beginning June 6, 2024, a new Washington law prohibits employers from requiring employees to attend meetings which have the primary purpose of communicating the employer’s opinion on “religious” or “political” matters....more
The lack of information about an employee’s Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) can lead to challenges when administering a Washington employee’s leave. Fortunately, a little help is on the way due to a bill recently passed by...more
Although Washington decriminalized recreational use of cannabis in 2012, employers in Washington have been free to deny employment on the basis of any evidence of cannabis use, including pre-hire drug testing, and even if...more
In November 2022, voters in Tukwila approved Initiative Measure No. 1, which will impact employers within that city starting July 1, 2023. Items in the new measure include the following: What employers are covered by these...more
In Part 2 of our blog series highlighting some of the risks for employers when pay and time practices don’t comport with wage and hour laws, the case details and key takeaways below should provide West Coast employers...more
As it turns out, yes, people do care about time. Two recent court cases highlight some of the risks for employers when pay and timekeeping practices don’t comport with wage and hour laws. We’ll provide overviews of each case...more
On October 20, 2022, the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) announced that beginning in 2023 it is adding a 0.2% solvency surcharge to the current PFML premiums, raising the 2023 premium rate to 0.8%. This...more
Adelina Suarez was a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) who worked for a state-operated certified residential nursing facility for vulnerable, disabled adults in Yakima, Washington. Throughout her employment, which was covered...more
Beginning January 1, 2023, covered employers who post job openings in Washington will be required to include compensation and benefit information with the postings, pursuant to a new statutory provision added to Washington’s...more
Beginning January 1, 2023, Washington employers with at least 15 employees will be required to include compensation and benefit information with postings for job openings. Currently, covered employers who have initially...more
Among other changes to the Washington Paid Family Medical Leave (“PFML”) program contained in SB 5649, effective June 9, 2022, when a newborn or newly adopted/fostered child dies, employees who would have qualified for either...more
In a surprise to presumably no one, Washington now explicitly protects the confidentiality of an employee’s use of an Employer Assistance Program (“EAP”)....more