After numerous fast food worker strikes, debates on the nation’s minimum wage, and stories about companies making as much in profits as their employees receive in government aid, it looks like SeaTac will be raising its minimum wage. Latest results show SeaTac voters narrowly passing Proposition 1 in this week’s election. If the results hold,… Read More
Posts Categorized In: Current Affairs
Threats of Government Shutdown Bring Mass Layoff Warnings
Even with the economy making its slow recover, mass layoffs are still almost common place in our society. What protections do employees have when faced with a mass layoff or plant closure? Does an employer have to provide any benefits or assistance to the employee? Washington state employees have faced potential mass layoffs with each… Read More
Exotic Dancers: Employees or Independent Contractors?
An important decision for every business is whether it should classify workers as employees or independent contractors. This distinction is important for many reasons such as taxes and liability. Furthermore, if a worker is an independent contractor, wage and hour provisions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) do not apply. For this reason, many… Read More
Washington Avoids Supermarket Strike
In a moment somewhat reminiscent of the recent government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis, Washington supermarkets narrowly averted a strike with a last minute agreement. A Seattle Times article details the preparations customers, employers and employees made in light of the impending strike. Some customers stocked up early on essentials to avoid crossing picket lines…. Read More
University of Washington Fined for Withholding Bias Claim Information
A judge has fined the University of Washington more than $720,000 for withholding information during a gender bias lawsuit. The lawsuit arose in 2009 when Isabelle Bichindaritz, a professor at the Tacoma branch campus, was denied tenure for the third time. She had been teaching at the University since 2002 in the computer-science department. The… Read More
Court Finds that EEOC Abused its Power in Recent Case
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency charged with enforcing federal laws against discrimination in the workplace. If an employee believes they have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or genetic information, or if they believe they have been retaliated against for reporting,… Read More
Corporate Lobbyist Fights Against Workers
In 2013, a few state and local governments passed important pro-worker bills. Two states voted to raise the minimum wage, while Portland, Oregon and New York City passed laws that require employers to provide earned paid sick leave. While American workers may applaud these actions, they are likely not aware that more states considered passing… Read More
ALEC Tries to Disguise Bills That Attack Workers
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is an organization composed of United State federal and state legislators, foundations, and corporations. ALEC members work to create so-called model policies for legislators to introduce as bills in their respective states. These bills generally focus on limited government and federalism at the state level. In the employment sector,… Read More
Amazon Will Hire 70,000 for the Holiday Season
The holiday season is fast approaching. Many companies are preparing for increased demands from holiday shoppers and many people are beginning to look for holiday employment, both full-time and part-time, The Puget Sound Business Journal reported that Amazon plans to hire 70,000 full-time holiday employees. This is a significant increase in seasonal workers over last… Read More
Federal Minimum Wage Protections Extended to Home Care Workers
With an aging population, the home care industry is rapidly growing in the United States, yet many of its employees’ wages are not currently protected under federal law. More specifically, home care employers are not required to pay home care workers minimum wage or overtime. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) established federally mandated minimum… Read More