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
Employment Blog
Here you can find the most recent employment law news and commentary on cases around the country. If you need assistance with employment law, don't hesitate to call us.
EEOC Files Two Disability Discrimination Lawsuits
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently filed lawsuits against two major corporations, claiming unlawful employment discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Both Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest managed healthcare consortium, and retail giant Kmart face allegations of failing to make reasonable accommodations for a current employee and prospective employee, respectively, with a disability. If found,… Read More
Whistleblower Hospital Employee Sues for Retaliatory Firing
A medical physicist has filed a lawsuit against the hospital where he formerly worked, claiming that he was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for reporting safety concerns to federal authorities. According to an article from the Seattle P-I, former employee Lawrence Slate claimed that he faced retaliation after he reported concerns to the federal government about… Read More
Seattle Starbucks Employee Loses Job Over Discarded Sandwich
An employee at a Starbucks in downtown Seattle was fired for taking a wrapped breakfast sandwich out of the trash can after a coworker had thrown it away, according to Q13FOX.com and The Stranger. The employee, Coulson Loptmann, who was unable to work enough hours to pay his bills and survived partly on food stamps,… Read More
"Pay-At-Risk" Compensation Plans Lead to Inconsistent Paychecks for Employees
Many large companies have their employees participate in a “pay-at-risk” compensation plan, which links a portion of employees’ incomes to the company’s performance. While this program means large paychecks for employees when the company is prospering, it also means that employees pay the price when the company is doing poorly. For example, CNBC reports that… Read More
SeaTac Minimum Wage Initiative Clears Legal Hurdles, Will Likely Appear on Ballot
The minimum wage is a hot topic these days, especially in light of all of the fast food workers’ strikes that are occurring across the nation. As we recently discussed, voters in the city of SeaTac can vote in November to increase the minimum wage of workers in and around the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. However,… Read More
Back to the Basics: Understanding ERISA
Retirement is something every employee looks forward to, particularly if the employee knows money has been set aside for retirement. Not having money set aside can be stressful for those close to retirement age. However, discovering that the money set aside and promised for retirement is no longer available or is significantly less than expected… Read More
E-Verify Discrimination
Immigration reform has been and continues to be a complex and controversial political issue. One major point of contention has been undocumented workers. In 1997, the United States government started the E-Verify program in an effort to prevent and reduce undocumented workers’ ability to find employment. It is an online program that matches information provided… 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
Employee's Race Discrimination Claims Against Paula Deen Dismissed
A federal judge dismissed a former employee’s race discrimination claims against Paula Deen, according to an article in the Seattle P-I. The judge ruled that the employee, who is white, does not have the right to bring a claim based on workplace discrimination against African-American workers. However, the judge did not dismiss the employee’s sexual… Read More