Voters passed Initiative 1433 in 2016 which raised the state’s minimum wage and required employers to provide paid sick leave to employees. The initiative provided that an employee shall accrue at least one hour of paid sick leave for every forty hours worked as an employee. The minimum wage portion of the initiative was effective Jan. 1, 2017 and the paid sick leave portion will become effective on Jan. 1, 2018. The new requirements will effect employers even if they currently a more generous or comprehensive leave policy.
To meet the 2018 effective date, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) drafted proposed rules governing paid sick leave and is actively soliciting feedback. The proposal can be found by clicking here. The agency is accepting stakeholder feedback on this draft until June 2 and will develop the final rules through the end of the calendar year.
The draft rules cover many aspects of the new law:
- How hours accrue;
- How they may be used;
- Employer notice requirements;
- Rates of pay that may be applied to the hours;
- Prohibitions on retaliation;
- L&I enforcement policy;
- Payroll records requirements; and more.
L&I created a comprehensive webpage about Initiative 1433 here which includes proposed rules, stakeholder responses, and other ways to stay involved with the law’s implementation.