Gainey Law, PLLC Seattle Employment Law Attorney

Communities Rise provides Free legal resources for non-profit organizations and small businesses with fewer than 50 employers and 2-million in yearly revenue. To find out more go here .

As schools plan to open and teachers and other workers wonder what their rights are to Not return to work answers are not as clear as we would like. However, do not make any rash decisions. A lot can change in a few short weeks (isn't that the lesson of 2020?). The non-profit legal aid Unemployment Law Project has been recording weekly FAQs. You can watch them all here:  QUESTIONS?  to find out about your rights as an employer or employee with regards to unemployment benefits. 

Statement by EEOC Chair Janet Dhillon on Older Americans Month May 2020 Message from Chair Janet Dhillon The EEOC enforces the ADEA with enthusiasm, as we do with all other statutes.  After all, one basic principle and spirit informs all the laws we enforce.  It should be a no-brainer that no one should be denied a job -- or treated unfairly at one – because of their age.  But I’m afraid we have to keep educating and enforcing in every way we can – including litigation as a last resort. Read more here .

A word from the Unemployment Department of Washington State ALERT:  Our system update is complete and eServices is online. However, both the site and our phone lines are experiencing extremely high volumes. Pages are loading slowly and call wait times are long. Please keep trying or come back and try later. If you are calling to submit your weekly claim, please try back after 5 p.m. Thank you for your patience. We apologize for the inconvenience. For more information visit www.ESD.gov   

While many of us are itching to get back to some semblance of "normal life," the indicators are not there to suggest that will be possible or safe immediately. The curve may be flattening, but without adequate testing for antibodies what does that mean for re-opening businesses? Its hard to say. Here are the statistics we do know to date. Read more about Washington's confirmed cases here. Seattle-King County Public Health’s Jeff Duchin  spoke out this week  about how prepared Washington is to reopen, noting that even with the outbreak waning, it’s not yet time to relax social distancing measures. Read more. Dr. Gordan Cohen joined Seattle's morning news to explain: Reopening the Economy before a vaccine will call for strict sanitation protocols. So, hang in there Washington and we will get through this together. To that end, I found this list of the 80, yes 80, things to do while stuck at home. Read More about things to do while stuck at home bored here.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1117118571999452&ref=watch_permalink The ESD system should be updated this Sunday. Get ready. Get your paystub, 1099 form or tax document ready to allow ESD to figure out how much is due to you. https://www.esd.wa.gov/ . BE PREPARED! Get your account set up and your paperwork in order so ESD can get you the benefits you need.

Update: Funds for this program were exhausted as of April 17, 2020. More funds are supposedly on the way. Stay tuned. According to Bank of America's website it seems like the banks that are administrating the loans for the federal government want you to be a customer (prior to Feb 15, 2020) with an existing loan or line of credit. However, so long as you are a business banking customer without a business loan with another bank you can apply through your bank. Read more here .

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...