Gainey Law, PLLC Seattle Employment Law Attorney

      Washington state  became   the second in the nation to pass the  HB 1795 - 2021-22 also known as the   Silenced No More Act  on Thursday (March 3, 2022). The new bill bars employers in the state from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to prevent workers from talking about instances of illegal harassment - including sexual harassment - discrimination, retaliation, sexual assault and wage violations. Despite the fact that the law has been moving in this direction for some time,(they were already banned in cases against the government as agaisnt public policy) defendant corporations and defense attorneys treat NDAs as "standard" and insist on them in every case. Some will argue that this will make cases harder to settle. That the defense only settles to get the NDA. I do not think this is true, I believe these NDAs are an abusive tactic to punish Plaintiff's for coming forward, to keep the company's wrongdoing quiet so ...

On the this International Women's Day I honor the women who have been speaking truth to power all my life.      I was  a clueless youth when Hilary Clinton laid out the truth at the International Women's Conference in Beijing in 1995.   Watch the Speech  That quote, Women's Rights are Human Rights seemed like a "duh" moment, to my anti-establishment cynical younger self.  At the same time,  the chill that ran down my spine the first time I heard it also reminded me that it was a dangerous statement to proclaim publicly. That it was a politically dangerous thing to say. Proclaiming women as equal, and demanding our equal treatment, has always been risky business and it remains risky today. So many of the atrocities she catalogues are still very much entrenched in all of our global communities. I have to run but I will try to add to this post later today.... Stay strong. Nicole