Articles About Washington Labor And Employment Law.

In May 2019, Washington State enacted restrictions on the enforceability of noncompetition covenants. The law, which took effect on January 1, 2020, requires the state to annually adjust the income thresholds for workers who are subject to noncompetition covenants.

In 2021, Washington established a long-term care benefit program for Washington workers called the WA Cares Fund. In short, the program implements a mandatory 0.58 percent payroll deduction on employee wages to create a state trust fund, which, beginning in 2025, will be used to fund certain long-term care costs

Beginning July 25, 2021, employees can use Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WPFML) to care for more people.

On July 9, 2021, Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries filed an emergency rule to increase protection for employees exposed to extreme heat at work. This includes employees working in agriculture, construction, and other outdoor industries. The new regulations took effect on July 13, 2021. 

While Washington state reopened on June 30 with the new Washington Ready plan, under which most industries have returned to normal capacity and operations, this reopening has loosened, but not eliminated, COVID-19 safety and masking requirements for employees and customers.

On April 21, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee signed into effect the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Trust Act, now called the “WA Cares Fund” (or “Fund”), making Washington the first state in the country to adopt a mandatory, public, state-run long-term care insurance program for workers.  Below are a

Worksite employers and staffing agencies that use temporary construction and manufacturing workers are subject to new safety obligations in Washington designed to protect the temporary workers from workplace hazards and injury. 

On April 14, 2021, Washington governor Jay Inslee signed into law Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1206, creating new requirements for staffing agencies and worksite employers utilizing temporary employees to provide training on workplace safety and health hazards. Under the new law, worksite employers must notify staffing agencies about the anticipated

Washington has adopted new laws that presume workers’ compensation coverage for “frontline employees,” creating reporting requirements, and provide additional protections for “high risk” workers designed to better prepare the state for the next pandemic. The new laws take effect immediately.

As some states make headlines for so-called “anti-trans” laws, the Washington state legislature rejected a bill designed to limit youth participation in sports based on their gender as assigned on a birth certificate and passed the new Gender Affirming Treatment Act.  This Act prohibits health insurers from denying or limiting

On May 11, 2021, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed into law SB 5115, the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA), which expands the workers’ compensation framework for infectious and contagious diseases and imposes new notice requirements on employers.

Washington has adopted the nation’s first state-run long-term care (LTC) services and support trust program.

The Washington State Legislature has temporarily amended the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Act to create pandemic leave assistance grants for certain employees and employers. Employees and employers cannot apply for these grants until August 1, 2021. This amendment expires on June 30, 2023. Read more about these

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has amended the High-Risk Employee Proclamation, making it easier for employers to seek medical verification from employees of whether they are high-risk for COVID-19 and what accommodations might allow them to return to work, as well as other changes. Governor Inslee has also issued a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet.