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.

Media Contact:
Nona Raybern, PR & Media Manager
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
p 425.457.7067
m 425.208.6308

Master Builders Association Names Brian Holtzclaw President of Board of Directors

Born and raised in Washington state, Holtzclaw has been a practicing lawyer since 1993. His main interests have revolved around development and land use issues in the Pacific Northwest, focusing on meeting the ever-rising demand for housing across all segments of the market. He holds a law degree from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University) and a degree in economics from Whitman College.

The newly inducted Board of Directors will be rounded out with 1st Vice President Todd Levitt (Murray Franklyn Family of Companies), 2nd Vice President Cameron McKinnon (Gamut360 Holdings), Secretary Luellen Smith (Rhino Wine Cellars & Cooling Systems), and Immediate Past President Bonnie Geers (Quadrant Homes).

Holtzclaw currently serves as in-house counsel for Village Life, a community and housing development firm, as well as mayor pro tem for the city of Mill Creek in Snohomish County. MBAKS is thrilled to have his expertise to guide the Board of Directors into the new decade.

Founded in 1909, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) has grown to become the largest local residential homebuilders association in the United States. With more than 2,700 member companies, the association is dedicated to membership value, housing advocacy, community service, and financial stewardship throughout the Puget Sound region.

Juli Bacon is the founder and president of JB Consulting Systems. With more than two decades of human resource and business experience, she has developed both a strategic and practical approach to HR within the residential building industry. Bacon is also the immediate past National Professional Women in Building chair.

We appreciate Darylene Dennon and Juli Bacon for being such motivational leaders in our Professional Women in Building Council.

Learn more about PWB and get involved at mbaks.com/pwb or facebook.com/groups/MBAKSPWB