Mandatory Overtime and Family/Medical Leave are like oil and water….they don’t mix! Aug12

Mandatory Overtime and Family/Medical Leave are like oil and water….they don’t mix!

An employer cannot discipline employees for refusing to work mandatory overtime when they need to take intermittent leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) for a serious health condition.   A year ago, a federal court ruled last year that if ...

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The Sarbanand blueberry workers can sue Aug16

The Sarbanand blueberry workers can sue

Farmworkers often face inhumane working conditions - poverty wages, backbreaking physical labor, exposure to pesticides, and other workplace abuses. They are excluded from most national labor protections afforded other workers, such as minimum wage and hour guarantees and overtime pay. Ironically, the at Sarbanand Farms may be mo...

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Concrete Strike A Lesson In Conflict Resolution And The Value Of Collective Bargaining Aug20

Concrete Strike A Lesson In Conflict Resolution And The Value Of Collective Bargaining

The outcome of any conflict in labor relations, litigation and in life depends on four factors, and the successful Teamsters strike at sand and gravel companies this week is a powerful lesson about the importance of relative bargaining power and resolve. With the construction industry in the Seattle area booming at full tilt and driv...

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Sticks, Stones and Words–Two Police Officers Sue Sawant For Defamation Aug29

Sticks, Stones and Words–Two Police Officers Sue Sawant For Defamation

The law does not follow the children’s rhyme.  Instead, words can hurt just like sticks and stones, and when they do they can lead to lawsuits.  Courts have recognized a person’s reputation does have value and that sometimes words can cause damage to that reputation. Last week, two Seattle police officers involved in a fatal...

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Nurse Wubbels Should Sue — Lawsuits Are Good Because They Internalize Cost Sep05

Nurse Wubbels Should Sue — Lawsuits Are Good Because They Internalize Cost

For many, Alex Wubbels is heroic, because she did the right thing.  She courageously protected a patient’s constitutional rights, even as she was confronted and challenged by police, and wrongfully placed under arrest.  The  of her ordeal spread like wildfire across the internet last week. Now, she should do the right thing ...

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Washington State Sick Leave Starts January 1, 2018 – Are You Ready? Oct02

Washington State Sick Leave Starts January 1, 2018 – Are You Ready?

Are you ready for the new Washington State Sick Leave law, starting on January 1, 2018? For many in Washington State, they will begin receiving paid sick leave for the first time. Washington State's sick leave law is unique in that there is no cap on the number of hours an employee can earn using the 1 hour earned for 40 hours wo...

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