Washington Employment Law Legal News Articles & Interviews

King County, WA: A group of janitors suing retail giant Fred Meyer are not looking to “clean up” as it were, but rather are seeking justice and due compensation for work performed off the clock in Washington state. The Washington Employment class action names as defendants Fred Meyer, as well as a number of subcontractors in a case due to be heard in April.

Seattle, WA At first glance, a minimum wage restaurant lawsuit in Philadelphia and Washington overtime lawsuits may not seem to have a lot in common, but the Philadelphia lawsuit could have implications for Washington employment lawsuits. That is because a judge has ruled in favor of arbitration in the lawsuit, preventing a class-action lawsuit from being filed. If employers in Washington follow suit, Washington employee rights might be enforced through arbitration panels.

Seattle, WA A Washington employment lawsuit, alleging violations of overtime laws, has reportedly been filed against Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc. The lawsuit alleges employees were repeatedly required to work overtime without receiving proper pay, a violation of federal and Washington State labor laws.

Hanford, WA A Washington state man who maintained a 44-year career with URS Corp. was one of five employees laid off from the firm due to apparent budgetary constraints. However, Walter Tamosaitis wonders if the loss of his job after so many years reaches back to previous concerns he raised with his former employer over safety and design issues at the plant where he was based. Was his layoff retaliation, and thus an affront to Washington State Employment Laws?

Kennewick, WA A former employee of the Kennewick Irrigation District (KID) in Washington State whose wrongful termination lawsuit was lost in a summary judgment granted to the defense has been advised by her Washington Employment lawyers to appeal.

Seattle, WA As of December, ABM Industries Incorporated was awaiting court approval of settlements in two pending Washington employment court cases involving millions of dollars in unpaid overtime and other violations, according to Class Action Reporter (12/17/12).

Tumwater, WA Under Washington State Employment Laws, as well as various federal statutes, contractors are required to hold state registration and permits for the work contractors actually perform. According to a recent release by States News Service (10/6/12), the fourth in a series of unannounced sweeps since August by inspectors with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) found no fewer than 11 contractors falling outside the bounds of compliance.

Spokane, WA In October 2012 the Supreme Court of Washington held that about 1,200 registered nurses in Spokane who worked through their rest periods were entitled to overtime pay under the

Olympia, WA While front-line service workers are often represented by unions and therefore can take advantage of various perks and workplace advantages entrenched in a contract to uphold safety on the job, circumstances may not permit a scheduled lunch break, or rest period. There is no more a truism here, than with the nursing profession, when the needs of a patient or a medical emergency do not wait until the end of a coffee break. The issue: when a rest period is missed to which the nurse is entitled, should that individual be paid nurse's overtime?

Port Angeles, WA This is a Washington Employment story with a twist. And yes, it includes overtime. But here's the rub. Instead of an employee doing the extra work and not getting paid for it, instead he balked at getting overtime for work he had not performed. In fact, it appears there were several problems with the US Border Patrol office to which he was assigned: too many staff, not nearly enough to do, and somehow overtime was allegedly being claimed, and paid in spite of it all.