The Presidential election is not the only reason to go to the polls this November. There are many non-Presidential candidates as well as issues on this year’s ballot, including Initiative 1433—a statewide initiative on minimum wage and paid sick leave. I-1433 is a labor-backed initiative aimed at: (1) raising Washington state’s minimum wage to $13.50 […]
Helsell
Taking Care of Your Loved Ones with a Caretaker Agreement
The person providing personal, in-home senior or adult care for your loved ones is considered a domestic employee, and it is important that you memorialize his or her duties and responsibilities as well as the terms of employment (e.g. duties, compensation, benefits, transportation, etc.) in an employment contract. Domestic employees come with many potential issues […]
Protecting Your Family and Avoiding a Nanny Nightmare
Do you know that your nanny is an employee who has many of the benefits and protections afforded by federal and state employment laws? For example, she may be entitled to overtime pay if she stays those extra few hours so you two can have a date night. Or she may be entitled to worker’s […]
City of Seattle Enacts New Open Housing Rules
In an attempt to address concerns of housing affordability, the Seattle City Council approved an ordinance that seeks to ensure access to rental housing for tenants while imposing new rules on landlords. The new ordinance is set to go into effect on September 7, 2016. In general, the ordinance includes the following changes in Seattle’s […]
New Overtime Rule Released by the Department of Labor
On May 18, 2016, the Department of Labor released the long anticipated final regulations regarding the exemption from overtime pay. What you need to know: New rule raises the salary threshold from $455/week and $23,660/year to $913/week and $47,476/year – (estimated by DOL to affect 76,000 workers in Washington State and 4.2 million in the […]
FMLA Guide for Employers
Employers who want a quick guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act can access the newly published “Employer’s Guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act”, which is available on the DOL website. Chock full of the Department of Labor’s interpretation of the FMLA, this 76 page manual is a pretty basic reminder on […]
To Our Federal Contractor Clients
The U.S. Department of Labor recently published the proposed regulations to implement President Obama’s Executive Order 13706 that established paid sick leave for Federal Contractors. As you’ll recall, the Executive Order requires federal contractors and subcontractors to provide employees with not less than 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked on […]
New Gender Identity Discrimination Laws
Washington now has several new laws that further prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression.
Social Media Marketing: Cool, Creative, and Confusing for Consumers
Earlier this year, somebody at the Food and Drug Administration was tasked with reviewing Kim Kardashian’s social media posts to determine whether they were false or misleading.
Update on Seattle’s Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance
In 2014, Seattle’s Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO) was implemented, requiring landlords and property managers to register all rental housing units in Seattle with the City of Seattle.