Five Key Things to Know About Washington’s New Sick Leave Law

By Larry Dickinson, PrimePay

In 2006, the City of San Francisco passed the first mandatory sick leave law in the country. Since then, many other states and municipalities have adopted similar statutes. In fact, 47 states and the District of Columbia have considered establishing such ordinances to help protect the wages of employees affected by illness, injury, or domestic violence.

1. Washington law—the basics

   In November 2016, voters in Washington state voted to establish a mandatory sick leave law for workers in their state. Starting in January of 2018, all employees covered under the Washington State Minimum Wage law must accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked.

   This law applies to all employers, even if they only have one employee. The problem is that many large cities in Washington such as Seattle and Tacoma have also adopted their own sick leave measures, and these measures are not always in sync with the state law.

   What is the employer to do? We will attempt to highlight some of the differences between state law and those of the municipalities. Note that we are using Washington state as the example here; the same scenarios are playing out in other states around the nation.

2. Allowable uses of sick leave

   According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, employees will be allowed to use sick leave for themselves or a family member for these reasons:

• To care for themselves or family members.
• When the employees’ workplace or their child’s school (or place of care) has been closed by a public official for health-related reasons.
• Absences that qualify under the Domestic Violence Leave Act.

Note that employers may allow employees to use paid sick leave for additional purposes.

Unlike the laws adopted in Tacoma and Spokane, the Washington state regulation does not cover bereavement due to the death of family members.

3. Family member definition

Washington allows the usage of paid sick leave for personal illness or injury as well as for family members defined below:

• Child
• Parent
• Spouse
• Grandparent
• Grandchild
• Sibling
• Registered domestic partner

The big difference here is that Washington state allows that the child relationship is enforced regardless of the age of the child, while the city regulations only cover children up to the age of 18.

4. Accrual of sick time

   In general, employees must earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. This covers all non-exempt employees covered by the Washington State Minimum Wage Law. There is currently no coverage for exempt workers, including white collar workers, outside salespeople or other professionals.

   In many of the local regulations, white collar workers are covered with the assumption of a flat 40-hour work week. Seattle law, as an example, covers all workers who work in the City of Seattle. While the new state law applies to all employers with even one employee, local laws can be applied differently depending on the size of the company. There is currently no cap on the number of hours earned each year by an employee. There is a cap on the number of hours that can carry over into the next year.

   Read a full list of FAQs.

5. What should your business do?

   In today’s business climate, employers are often confronted with conflicting city and state ordinances regarding sick leave accrual and usage. These laws and their differences can provide today’s small business owner with a nightmare.

   How do you apply different laws to different groups of employees with different job descriptions, working in different jurisdictions? An automated time and attendance system is a great option.

   PrimePay offers a variety of systems to meet any employer’s needs. These programs can define almost any type of accrual policy imaginable and apply those policies to different groups of employees based on geography, employee type, or job description. Let the professionals at PrimePay build a system that will keep you in compliance for years to come.

Learn more at primepay.com.

This article originally appeared on primepay.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Sharon Couts
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
425.499.1723

Bellevue, Wash—June 22, 2016—The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties and Regence BlueShield will volunteer for Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County's "La Fortuna" townhome community in Renton, a 3-Star Built Green® property. Volunteers will focus on unmasking floors, installing appliances, painting, and cleaning in preparation for the homeowner dedication on July 16, 2016. At that time, eight low-income families will receive the keys to their new homes and a better future.

La Fortuna residents will include U.S. military veterans, Americans who were once refugees from war-torn countries, and others who came to our region in search of a better life for their families. The future homeowners have worked together as friends and neighbors to help build and create this community.

Habitat for Humanity's vision of creating "a world where everyone has a decent place to live" is shared by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties and Regence BlueShield. This vision, and the idea that affordable housing should be accessible to all families—including low-income, middle class, and those struggling with homelessness—has led Regence and the MBA to form ongoing partnerships with this organization.

Schedule—Wednesday, June 22, 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 8:45 a.m.: Check-in. Distribute protective equipment.
• 9:00 a.m.: Safety orientation, description of work assignments.
• 9:15 a.m.: Work under the instruction of Habitat site staff.
• 12:45 p.m.: Cleanup
• Location: Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County's La Fortuna New Construction community in Renton, 17286 127th Ave. SE, Renton, WA 98058

About Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County

Habitat for Humanity SKC is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit housing organization that brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Habitat SKC is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing through constructing, renovating, and preserving affordable homes, and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. Habitat SKC builds more than houses—we transform local communities. Habitat SKC has built renovated or repaired more than 450 homes for local families in need. For more information or to get involved, visit habitatskc.org or follow us on facebook.com/habitatskc or twitter.com/habitatskc.

About Regence BlueShield

Regence BlueShield has been serving Washingtonians in select counties for nearly a century and now provides more than 1.1 million members with comprehensive health insurance solutions. As a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Regence is part of a family of companies dedicated to transforming health care by delivering innovative products and services that change the way consumers nationwide experience health care. For more information, please visit regence.com, facebook.com/regenceblueshieldwa or twitter.com/regencewa.

About the Master Builders Association

Founded in 1909, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBA) has grown to become the largest residential homebuilders association in the United States. With 2,800 member companies, the association is dedicated to membership value, government advocacy, financial stewardship, and promoting the residential building industry in the Puget Sound region. The association and its members address many of the concerns and issues affecting the residential housing industry. If you are looking to buy, build, remodel, or maintain your home, trust MBA for industry professional referrals and practical information to get the job done. mbaks.com

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Last week's Crab Feed set the stage for a brief discussion on the association's many impactful victories within Snohomish County. Featuring Mike Pattison.

More about our advocacy efforts