Author: Washington Employment Law Letter

Seattle’s new minimum wage ordinance takes effect April 1

by Valerie Hughes and Aurora Janke Seattle’s new minimum wage ordinance goes into effect April 1, meaning employers—regardless of size—must pay employees working in the city at least $11 per hour. Employers with 501 or more employees must pay a “minimum wage” of $11 per hour, while employers with 500 or fewer employees must pay […]

Employers, employees see work-life balance through different lenses

Think your employees are satisfied with their work-life balance? They may be, but a recent survey signals they may not be as satisfied as you think. WorkplaceTrends.com, a human resources research portal, and CareerArc, a recruitment and outplacement firm, released their 2015 Workplace Flexibility Study in February. The survey of 1,087 professionals—both employed and those […]

‘Quickie election’ rule likely on track despite Senate action

The U.S. Senate dealt at least a minor blow to the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) rule aimed at speeding up union elections, but the rule’s April 14 effective date likely is still on track. On March 4, the Senate voted 53-46 to overturn the rule by using its power under the Congressional Review Act. […]

March madness or good, clean fun? What HR needs to know about office gambling

by Justin Lessner For many sports fans, March means March Madness and hour upon glorious hour of college basketball. There’s a good chance that some of your employees are planning office pools, just waiting for Selection Sunday, the day the official brackets are released. While they view office pools and other office gambling as a […]

Ruling goes against Nebraska’s same-sex marriage ban

by Tammy Binford In a ruling that wasn’t a surprise, a federal judge has ruled against Nebraska’s ban on same-sex marriage. But the fate of the state’s constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage awaits an appeal to the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon issued the ruling on March 2. It […]

New York tipped minimum cash wage to rise to $7.50 an hour

by Charles H. Kaplan Tipped workers in New York will see the minimum cash wage rise to $7.50 an hour on December 31, 2015, following a February 24 order by New York State Acting Commissioner of Labor Mario Musolino. The order will reduce the tip credit to a $1.50 deduction from New York’s minimum wage […]

Live long and diversify your workforce

The death of Leonard Nimoy this week brought back many memories of the actor’s classic portrayal of Mr. Spock in the original “Star Trek” television series and subsequent movies, as well as his talents as a photographer, writer, and lecturer. Spock, as personified by Nimoy, embodied many qualities that employers value in their workforce, such […]

Employee or self-employed? That is the question!

By Alexandra Meunier and Yves Turgeon In the financial services industry, the status of insurance and financial product sales reps is often in question. Are they employees or independent contractors? No matter what part of Canada you’re in, it is important to get it right.

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Keeping leave legal: Escape bias claims related to time off for new parents

Many employers interested in promoting a family-friendly workplace want to offer new moms and dads paid time off for parental leave. But they need to keep discrimination concerns in mind if they plan to offer moms more “parental” time than dads. Recently, a group of attorneys was asked about the legality of an employer’s idea […]

Right-to-work bill on the march in Wisconsin

by Tammy Binford Wisconsin is on its way to becoming a right-to-work state. A right-to-work bill passed the state senate on February 25 and is expected to pass the assembly after that body takes it up on March 5. Governor Scott Walker is expected to sign the bill as soon as it passes. The bill […]