Last Monday the Seattle City Council passed (9-0) a “Secure Scheduling” Ordinance that is sure to shake things up (again!) in the world of labor and employment. We are just understanding how other recent City legislation works in light of the 2016 Labor Standards Amendments that made changes to Paid Sick and Safe and... View Article
On May 18, 2016, the Department of Labor finally issued its much anticipated white collar exemption rules. Here is what employers need to know: Beginning on December 1, 2016, the salary requirements for exempt status will be $913 per week or $47,476 per year. How did the DOL arrive at that number? The amount represents... View Article
By Victoria Bartow On April 1st, significant changes are taking effect regarding Seattle labor standards. An overview of the changes and current Seattle laws is provided here by the Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS). Some key changes are discussed below: Notice of Employment Information: By April 1st, employers should provide employees (new and existing) a... View Article
Yeah, we’ve all heard it – you must work “on” your business not “in” it. I’m a big believer; yet I found it, as many business owners do, really tough to execute upon. The reason why? Because it’s easy to find the things that need to be done in day-to-day operations. We know how to... View Article
By Lauren Burgon Washington State’s new Limited Liability Company Act went into effect on January 1. While some of the changes are minor, there are changes that could have a significant impact on an LLC that has not updated its Operating Agreement, or hasn’t gotten around to implementing a written Operating Agreement in the first... View Article
By Lauren Burgon Effective February 1, 2016, nearly every employee working even occasionally in Tacoma is entitled to paid sick/safe leave under a new Tacoma law. This applies to private sector employees regardless of where their employer is located or the size of their employer’s business. While the Tacoma law is patterned after Seattle’s paid... View Article
Last week the Seattle Times reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil fraud suit against local developer Lobsang Dargey, alleging that he stole nearly $18 million for his own use from immigrant investors under the EB-5 program. The program allows wealthy foreigners to invest money ($500,000 at a minimum) in a... View Article
The headlines associated with audits of independent contractor vs employee relationships have died down, but the revenue agencies are still aggressively pursuing these areas. It’s essential that you have clear documentation that each contractor relationship you’ve entered into meets the legal requirements so that you can present these in the event of an audit and... View Article
If you ask business owners to describe their biggest challenges, one of the top three is almost always related to managing and leading employees. It’s usually not specifically described as “legal compliance,” but the challenges of ensuring employee happiness and productivity. To achieve these goals, we look to build compensation, wellness, flexibility, and autonomy policies... View Article