Gainey Law, PLLC Seattle Employment Law Attorney

If you are a worker and your employer owes you unpaid wages you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor and Industry Dear Washington State Employers, Please take a deep breath and assess your options before laying off or terminating workers right now. The CARES Act that just passed will provide "loans" to businesses with employees who retain those employees. The loans may be forgiven for employers who retain staff over a period of time. If you do lay off or fire your staff - pay them what you owe them . That is still the law. Paycheck Protection Program The Paycheck Protection Program, one of the largest sections of the CARES Act, is the most important provision in the new stimulus bill for most small businesses. This new program sets aside $350 billion in government-backed loans from private banks that can, in some cases, be converted to grants, which means that if you meet the requirements you won't need to pay the loan back. H...

Hi folks, I hope this finds you healthy and calm and safe (if bored) in your homes. I can't help you find that last pack of toilet paper, but I know there are some other concerns brewing out there and I might be able to help. A lot of people are being laid off or otherwise losing their jobs. Employers are making tough decisions. Whether you are an employer or an employee here are some resources to help you get through this. Employees / Formerly employed / Job Searchers: Wondering if your Employer can Take my Temperature at work? Yes they Can. Were your Unemployment Benefits Denied? Do you Need help? Contact the Unemployment Law Project for free legal help with your Appeal. Want to Know More about Your Employment Rights? Fair Work Washington And Labor and Industry Department answers about Corona Virus . EEOC discusses Delayed hiring dates, Health screenings and Questions by Employers. EEOC Covid-19 Employers: Society of Human Resources Management Weathering th...

Click here to find out  How to set up your business with the different programs now being offered through the Employment Securities Department of Washington State (ESD).

GO to CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PAGE FOR INFO  and better formatting. Or see text below. There were many questions about providing health benefits to employees during this time. For most employer-sponsored plans, employees can continue to stay on employer-sponsored health insurance while on an unemployment program. This would fall under “NON-FMLA leave of absence”. It is a provision that would allow accommodations in this regard. Employers can self-manage/determine how they implement, but it would allow employers to decide to maintain eligibility. There also needs to be at least one active employee in the business at all times (which can be the owner). Most employer-sponsored programs can continue to cover employees. Most employer plans (including Business Health Trust) have non-FMLA Leave of Absence. This means, that employees can still participate and that employers have discretion in this. Check with your broker or health plan if you have more questions. Note the provision below: ...

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page . March 25, 2020 Joint Information Center 253-512-7100 wajic@mil.wa.gov State launches web form to clarify “essential” businesses under COVID-19 Stay Home, Stay Healthy proclamation A simple online form and comprehensive resources are available at www.coronavirus.wa.gov to answer questions from businesses and individuals about their essential/non-essential status. Camp Murray, WA  - Washington state today launched an online form so businesses can get clarification or submit a request for inclusion as essential under Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy proclamation. The proclamation goes into effect at midnight tonight, closing non-essential businesses for the next two weeks. State officials continue to emphasize that the state COVID-19 web portal is the central location for the most c...

These are just quick notes from a Webinar the Washington State unemployment (ESD) office put out today. If you work or worked in Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kent or anywhere in Washington State this information applies to you. Current options for Unemployment benefits (ESD) during the Corona virus / Covid-19. Watch the recent webinar here (starts at 27 min. fast forward) . 1. Standby 2. Partial Employment 3. Shared Work (no requirement to look for work ) “WAIVER OF WORK SEARCH” Right now unemployment department is inundated with applications. Normal 3K last week 100K!!!! So go online and apply when everyone else is sleeping. File every week even if denied and keep filing. They can fix it retroactively. Still requires a base year (first 4 quarters of the last five) of work to qualify - must have worked 680 hours. You can combine claims with other states if you moved. You can open a claim while still working full time. Why would you? To see what your benefit ...

As the Covid-19 corona virus virus continues to effect the Seattle area, King County and our entire region in dramatic ways , my law firm is beginning to get the first calls from people who have been fired or otherwise separated from their jobs because of the virus. It is often unclear if you have any legal protections or remedies in these situations without discussing what happened in detail with an attorney. So, the information here is not provided as legal advice, if you wish to find out more about your potential legal claims go here to share what has happened to you. We will get back to you as soon as we can. In the meantime,   I've put together a list to help employees connect with resources they may need right away. If you live in Seattle or Washington, or work for a Washington Company, and you or a family member is sick requiring you to stay home to care for yourself or that family member you may qualify for paid sick leave. See: Full Pamphlet PFSL.   If y...