Voters passed Initiative 1433 in 2016 raising the state’s minimum wage and requiring employers to provide paid sick leave to employees effective January 2018. The initiative provides that an employee shall accrue at least one hour of paid sick leave for every forty hours worked as an employee.
The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has been working to draft rules implementing the new law. On July 6, the agency released the latest version of the draft rules for comment. AWC previously provided written comment on the earlier draft. We are now reviewing the latest version in anticipation of providing additional feedback.
In addition to accepting written comments, L&I is hosting a series of public hearings around the state this August to gather feedback. The deadline for comment on the latest draft is September 1.
The public hearings are set for the following dates and locations:
August 8, 2017, 10 am
Labor & Industries Headquarters Auditorium
7273 Linderson Way SW
Tumwater, WA 98501
August 16, 2017, 10 am
Spokane CenterPlace Auditorium
2426 N. Discovery Pl.
Spokane Valley, WA 99216
August 17, 2017, 10 am
Columbia Basin Community College, L102, Building L
2600 North 20th Ave.
Pasco, WA 99301
August 29, 2017, 10 am
Xfinity Center, Edward D Hansen Conference Center, Ballroom 3 South
2000 Hewitt Avenue, Suite 200
Everett, WA 98201
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.