In response to abundant press reports of injury rates in warehouse and distribution centers, Washington State has joined New York and California in enacting a new law, House Bill (HB) 1762, regulating employers’ use of production quotas or standards for workers at warehouse distribution centers. The law takes effect on
Articles Discussing General Topics In Washington Labor & Employment Law.
Washington State: 2024 Spring Legislative Roundup
The Washington State Legislature’s 2024 legislative session adjourned on March 7, 2024, concluding a busy sixty-day period that saw lawmakers introduce almost 1,200 bills—on education, public safety, taxes, housing, the Lunar New Year, octopus farming, and more—with about 340 bills passing and heading to Governor Jay Inslee’s desk for approval
Washington State Updates and Clarifies Noncompetition and Nonsolicitation Law
The 2024 Washington State Legislature passed Substitute Senate Bill (S.S.B.) 5935 in February 2024, and Governor Jay Inslee signed the bill into law on March 13, 2024, updating and clarifying Washington law regarding restrictive covenants (RCW 49.62 et seq.). The new provisions take effect on June 6, 2024.
Washington State Legislative Updates
The Washington state legislature and certain localities recently passed several bills affecting employers, some of which have already been signed into law. These measures address non-compete agreements, mandatory employer-sponsored meetings, immigration reporting, paid leave, and the minimum wage. Each new bill or ordinance is discussed below.
New Law Expands and
Washington State Wildfire Smoke Rules Impose New Employer Requirements
Washington State wildfire smoke rules take effect January 15, 2024. Employers must develop a wildfire smoke response plan, train employees on its use, and monitor jobsites for exposure levels.
As many Washington residents are aware, wildfires, and wildfire smoke,
Washington State Adopts New, Permanent Wildfire Smoke Regulations
On December 14, 2023, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) finalized and adopted new rules focused on protecting workers from wildfire smoke hazards that take effect on January 15, 2024.
New Marijuana Laws Take Effect in California and Washington on January 1, 2024
The new year is approaching quickly and employers must get ready for the new marijuana laws that will take effect in California and Washington. These laws are very different from other states’ marijuana laws. In our firm’s latest “We Get Work” podcast, Catherine Cano and I discuss what employers need
Updates to the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave Program
The Washington Employment Security Department has announced the Paid Family and Medical Leave 2024 premium rates and weekly benefit maximums.
Beginning on January 1, 2024, the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave Program’s total premium rate will decrease from 0.8% to 0.74%. This rate is recalculated annually in October, based
Washington State Provides Employers Access to Paid Family and Medical Leave Claim Data
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
New Growth of State and Local Paid Leave Developments in the Evergreen State
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
New Washington Class Action Raises Concerns for Employers Under State’s Noncompete Ban
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.
New Washington State Law Will Protect Job Applicants From Discrimination Based on Off-Duty Marijuana Use
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,
Washington Amends Law to Protect Off-Duty Marijuana Use in 2024
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
Washington State to Bar Employers From Relying on Off-Duty Use of Marijuana in Hiring Decisions
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.
Washington’s Governor Signs New Health Data Privacy Act
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