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Oct 19 2023
Wage and HourWashington

Washington minimum wage and exempt salary increase in 2024

The state of Washington has announced increases in the minimum wage rate and the exempt salary thresholds for employees, effective January 1, 2024. These increases impact several state wage requirements that you’ll want to be aware of if you have employees in Washington. The cities of Seattle, SeaTac, and Tukwila also have higher minimum wage…

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Oct 05 2023
COVID-19Safety and HealthWashington

WASHINGTON: Permanent TWH rules released

Starting November 1, 2023, operators of temporary worker housing (TWH) must comply with new rules issued by Washington’s Departments of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Health (DOH) that primarily address communicable diseases such as COVID-19. As we previously reported, L&I and DOH indicated in January that they planned to create permanent rules when their last…

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Oct 05 2023
Affirmative ActionWage and Hour

Federal contractor minimum wage rises January 1, 2024

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has raised the minimum wage for certain federal contracts related to services and construction (not supplies) as of January 1, 2024. The amount of the increase depends on when your organization’s covered federal contract was signed or modified. For federal contracts signed, renewed, or extended on or after January…

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Oct 05 2023
WashingtonWorkers’ Comp

Claims ‘Monitoring’ vs. ‘Management’: Which is best for your company?

As an employer, navigating complex claims on your own can be exceedingly overwhelming and time-consuming, which is why the prospect of having a partner to “manage your claims” can come as quite a relief. However, it begs the question: what does “claims management” truly entail? And if your partner is more of the “claims monitoring”…

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Oct 05 2023
Labor Relations

NLRB issues rules to speed pace of union elections

As expected, the National Labor Relations Board has issued “quickie election” rules—new regulations that will likely shorten the amount of time between a union’s petition for an election and the date of the election itself. The changes apply to representation petitions filed on or after December 26, 2023 (88 Fed Reg 58076, August 25, 2023)….

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Oct 05 2023
Wage and HourWashingtonWorkers’ Comp

L&I’s Stay at Work program, are you using it?

Did you know the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) will partially reimburse you for wages paid to an injured worker who has returned to a medically approved light/modified duty job? L&I’s Stay at Work program offers employers an incentive to get injured workers back to work before they’re fully released. Stay at Work…

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Oct 05 2023
Affirmative ActionDisabilityHarassment & Discrimination

Federal contractors settle discrimination claims with OFCCP

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has announced numerous financial settlements with federal contractors in recent months. Most settled allegations of hiring discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity or gender, which came to light during the agency’s routine reviews of the companies’ affirmative action plans (AAPs). A few settlements were made after the…

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Sep 21 2023
DisabilityWage and Hour

Listen to webinar recording on constructive HR conversations

Our webinar recording of Let’s Talk About It: Better Conversations to Build Trust, Drive Performance, and Dial Down the Drama is now available for viewing. Jodi Slavik, Employment Attorney and Strategic Services Director for Vigilant, recently joined TERRA’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jenifer Lambert, in a webinar designed to unlock the power of constructive HR conversations…

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Sep 21 2023
DisabilityWage and Hour

Listen to webinar recording on constructive HR conversations

Our webinar recording of Let’s Talk About It: Better Conversations to Build Trust, Drive Performance, and Dial Down the Drama is now available for viewing. Jodi Slavik, Employment Attorney and Strategic Services Director for Vigilant, recently joined TERRA’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jenifer Lambert, in a webinar designed to unlock the power of constructive HR conversations…

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Sep 21 2023
Leave LawsWage and Hour

Q&A: May need to adjust workload during FMLA leave

Q&A: May need to adjust workload during FMLA leave Question: We granted intermittent leave to a full-time employee under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). They normally work five days a week and expect to miss work about one day a week for the next six months. The employee says they can’t meet…

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Sep 21 2023
Drug and AlcoholLabor Relations

Q&A: Notify union of pending changes to drug testing policy

Question: We’re changing our drug testing policy to remove marijuana from the applicant drug panel. We might do some other language clean-up while we’re doing so. Because the substantive change involves applicants, we don’t have to notify the union, right? Answer: Wrong…only because you said you’re doing other “clean-up.” What you consider to be minor…

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Sep 07 2023
Affirmative ActionHarassment & Discrimination

OFCCP expands data requests in audit scheduling letter

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently expanded the data requests in its Supply and Service Scheduling Letter and Itemized Listing, the letter it sends to federal contractors requiring submission of data within 30 days to kick off an affirmative action audit. The letter applies to OFCCP compliance reviews scheduled on or after…

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