This Thursday, June 7, 2018, an amendment to Washington’s Equal Pay Act goes into effect. This amendment attempts to limit gender discrimination in the workplace by prohibiting discrimination in compensation of “similarly employed” workers of different genders. Under the act, employees are “similarly employed” when: they work for the same company the job done requires... View Article
I recently watched the move “9 to 5” while on a flight. I hadn’t seen it in years and not since I started my own business or began practicing law. I loved it when I first saw and I still found it to be really entertaining. I remember a film class I took in college... View Article
As the effective date of Statewide Paid Sick and Safe time quickly approaches, I have had several clients say to me, “We are covered by Seattle Sick and Safe, so we don’t have to worry.” This isn’t true for two reasons: 1) Just because you are covered by Seattle (or another city ordinance requiring paid... View Article
A Washington federal district court recently ruled in favor of a terminated employee whose employer failed to accommodate for her use of prescription drugs due to a protected disability. The employee worked in customer service, and suffered from chronic migraines, for which she began receiving injections of the opioid Dilaudid. Due to her disability, she... View Article
On July 17, 2017, USCIS released a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. If this sounds familiar, it is. The last update to the Form 1-9 was in November of 2016. The easiest way to differentiate the new version from the recent update is to look at the version date in the lower left-hand corner.... View Article
As of July 5, 2017, Washington State became the latest to join a small group of states mandating paid family and medical leave for residents. The effect this will have on employers and employees alike is bound to be great, and it is important to understand the impact of the new regulations. Below we will... View Article
House Bill 1506 bans pay disparities based on gender and prohibits assigning or directing an employee into a less favorable career track based on gender and failing to provide information about promotions. The bill would also prohibit employers from requiring employees to keep compensation information confidential or retaliate against an employee for comparing or discussing... View Article
On June 7, Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced the withdrawal of the DOL’s prior Administrator Interpretations (“AIs”) clarifying the department’s position on the broad definition of joint employment and independent contractor misclassification. By withdrawing the AI’s, Acosta does not change the legal obligation of employers under the law. Instead, it rescinds the DOL’s prior guidance... View Article
Update: US Department of Labor recently updated the criteria related to the “primary beneficiary test”. We have made an updated blog post reflecting that change that you can read by clicking here. Summer is upon us, and this means many workplaces will see an infusion of interns looking to boost their resume and gain valuable on-the-job... View Article