Articles Discussing General Topics In Washington Labor & Employment Law.

Signed into law by Governor Inslee on May 9, 2023 and effective January 1, 2024, new legislation allows certain interested parties to have access to information from the Washington Security Department, the state agency who administers the paid family and medical leave program, regarding an employee’s leave including:

Type

Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave Act has been amended to, among other changes, provide employers with access to claim information that may be helpful in administering concurrent leave and supplemental benefit programs. Washington Minimum Wage Act has been amended to require payment of standalone unused paid sick

A putative class action recently filed in Seattle, Washington, against a solar energy equipment company could be the first lawsuit to test the bounds of the state’s relatively new restrictions on noncompetition agreements for lower-wage employees.

Employers in Washington will soon be prohibited from making hiring decisions based on preemployment testing for off-the-job cannabis use or test results showing nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolites in an applicant’s hair, blood, urine, or other bodily fluids. Washington’s new law, Senate Bill 5123, signed by Governor Jay Inslee on May 9,

On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Governor Inslee signed into law Senate Bill No. 5123, which will protect prospective employees from discrimination in hiring due to their lawful, off-duty use of marijuana. With this law, Washington will join the growing list of states offering some workplace protections to workers who

The state of Washington will prohibit employers from making hiring decisions based on off-duty use of cannabis or positive pre-employment drug test results that find an applicant to have nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolites in their hair, blood, urine, or other bodily fluids. The new law (SB 5123) takes effect on January 1, 2024.

Health data privacy, including in the context of reproductive health, was strengthened last week when Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed the “My Health, My Data Act” on April 27, 2023. See our summary of the law here.

Set to take effect on March 31, 2024, the new law aims to

Since the privacy and security regulations were issued under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), critics pointed to the limitations on the reach of those rules. A critical limitation advanced by privacy advocates is that the popular health data privacy rule extends only to certain covered entities

New laws in Seattle and Washington State allow certain gig workers greater access to traditional employee benefits.

Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Leave

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signed into law the App-Based Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance on March 29, 2023. Among other things, this law requires that

In 2022, Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) drafted permanent workplace safety rules aimed at protecting workers from outdoor heat exposure. On March 21, 2023, L&I filed proposed updates to the rule that would broaden the protections for outdoor workers in Washington. This continued evolution of heat illness

The Seattle City Council passed a first-of-its-kind ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on caste in employment, housing, and public accommodation. Seattle’s mayor approved the ordinance on February 23, 2023, and the ordinance will take effect March 25, 2023, 30 days from the mayor’s approval.

Washington State issued guidance on pay transparency law taking effect on January 1, 2023. Equal Pay and Opportunities Act requires disclosure of wage scale/salary range and description of benefits and other compensation for the position. Law applies if the employer has one Washington-based employee, engages in business in

Washington’s Silenced No More Act limits all Washington employers’ use of nondisclosure and nondisparagement provisions in employment agreements.