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Publications
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05.02.2024Washington State Tightens Noncompete RestrictionsUpdatesBeginning June 6, 2024, Washington businesses that have noncompetition agreements with employees or independent contractors will be subject to new requirements under the latest amendment to the state’s noncompetition law.
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03.06.2023Update: New Washington Law Protects Job Applicants’ Off-Duty Marijuana UsePodcastsA new law recently took effect in Washington that changes the way employers should conduct drug tests.
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11.16.2023New Washington Law Protects Job Applicants’ Off-Duty Marijuana UseUpdates
Beginning in 2024, both Washington and California will prohibit employers from basing hiring decisions on an applicant’s legal marijuana use.
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05.11.2023Update: NLRB Rules Employee Severance Agreement With Overbroad Confidentiality and Nondisparagement Provisions Violates NLRAPodcastsIn February 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled in McLaren Macomb, 372 NLRB No. 58 (2023), that employee severance agreements with overly broad confidentiality and nondisparagement provisions violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
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02.28.2023NLRB Rules Employee Severance Agreement With Overbroad Confidentiality and Nondisparagement Provisions Violates NLRAUpdatesIn a recent ruling, the National Labor Relations Board found an employer violated the National Labor Relations Act when it offered furloughed employees a severance agreement that included overbroad nondisparagement and confidentiality provisions.
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02.13.2023Update: Seattle’s New Independent Contractor ProtectionsPodcastsSeattle’s new Independent Contractor Protections Ordinance (the Ordinance) requires certain hiring entities to provide independent contractors with disclosures both before entering a contract and at the time of payment.
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01.31.2023New Minimum Wage Laws in Washington State Effective January 1Updates
Multiple new laws took effect in Washington at the beginning of the year, including several that increased the minimum wage in various locations across the state. This Update summarizes those new wage-related laws.
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09.19.2022Seattle’s New Independent Contractor ProtectionsUpdates
Seattle’s new Independent Contractor Protections Ordinance took effect on September 1, 2022. The law imposes new requirements on employers who work with independent contractors. Employers must now provide certain notices and information both before a contractor begins work and each time a contractor is paid. Hiring entities with independent contractors working for them as of September 1, 2022, must provide the required notice of rights and pre-work written notice to the contractor by September 30, 2022, or by the date of compensation, whichever is sooner.
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01.24.2022OLS Announces Rulemaking for New Independent Contractor LawUpdatesThe Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) recently announced it will conduct an administrative rulemaking process related to the city’s new Independent Contractor Protections ordinance.
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07.21.2021Washington Issues Wildfire Smoke Emergency RuleUpdatesThe Department of Labor & Industries filed a new emergency rule on July 16, 2021, that provides increased protection to employees who are exposed to wildfire smoke. The rule took effect immediately.
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04.13.2021Best Practices to Prepare for and Navigate DOJ Immigration InvestigationsUpdatesA subsection of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER), formerly the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC), enforces the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act and the accompanying regulations (8 U.S.C. § 1324b and 28 C.F.R. Part 44).
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12.21.2020Washington Supreme Court Extends Corporate Privilege to Non-Employee ContractorsUpdatesMore than thirty years ago, the Washington Supreme Court ruled defense counsel may not engage in ex parte communications with a plaintiff’s treating physician. Loudon v. Mhyre, 110 Wn.2d 675, 676 (1988).
Presentations
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11.17.2021Fall 2021 Virtual Labor & Employment Law UpdateWebinarsThis 90-minute presentation covered a variety of critical federal and Washington State legislative, regulatory, and case developments in employment law.
Wage & Hour Developments
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New Minimum Wage Laws in Washington State Effective January 1
Multiple new laws took effect in Washington at the beginning of the year, including several that increased the minimum wage in various locations across the state. Further details can be found here. With the start of the new year, employers should check to ensure that all nonexempt employees earn at least the minimum wage. This...
