On May 15, 2020, Governor Jay Inslee announced that the Washington Legislature agreed to extend the temporary moratorium on garnishment for consumer debts that was imposed by the governor’s Proclamation 20-49. The original proclamation expired on May 14, 2020, but the revised version (Proclamation 20-49.1) extends the moratorium until 11:59 p.m. on…
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the latest in a string of local California municipalities to pass an ordinance providing supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) to workers not covered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The Los Angeles County interim urgency ordinance affects businesses in the unincorporated…
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The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I)’s Wage and Hour team recently confirmed in an informal email that employers aren’t obligated to return garnished wages to employees when the withholding took place before the governor’s garnishment moratorium on April 14, 2020. L&I can’t say conclusively what you should do with that money, but suggested it may be most…
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Question: Before Governor Inslee’s order temporarily halting garnishments for consumer debt took effect on April 14, 2020, we withheld wages and set the money aside to send to the creditor once the 60-day garnishment period ended. Should we refund that money to our employee? Or should we hold on to it and…
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Washington employers must temporarily stop withholding worker wages under writs of garnishment, according to a proclamation issued by Governor Jay Inslee to ease financial hardships for workers during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. This includes writs you currently hold and any new writs you receive starting April 14 and continuing through May 14, 2020. The…
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The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that California’s reporting time pay requirements extend to employees scheduled for “call-in” shifts even if they aren’t required to physically report to work. Workers at a retail store were required to call their manager 30 to 60 minutes before a scheduled shift to see if the store…
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The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) filed a temporary rule that permits manufacturers of certain non-perishable goods to allow employees to voluntarily work up to 91 hours in a workweek. This temporary rule is being adopted as an emergency response to the critical demand for certain non-perishable products…
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On March 25, 2020, Governor Inslee signed an amendment to the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WPFML) program (SHB 2614). This bill doesn’t have anything to do with the current pandemic. Instead, it makes technical corrections to the WPFML program, to ensure the intent of the original bill is intact. The…
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Question: Our company is facing financial difficulty, so we’re considering reclassifying some salaried exempt workers as hourly nonexempt workers to cut down on payroll hours. Is that a good idea? Answer: Maybe, but reclassifying workers can have unintended negative consequences. Unfortunately, many companies are scrambling for ways to save money right now. Some…
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Alert: New federal law provides paid leave for COVID-19 absences President Trump has signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, an economic stimulus package that offers employees certain emergency protections for absences related to the coronavirus (COVID-19). This new law will have a major impact on employers throughout 2020, as it…
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