Gainey Law, PLLC Seattle Employment Law Attorney

4 Types of Employment Laws That Can Help Domestic Violence Survivors at Work By: Kate Miceli October 5, 2023 En español - below Original post here: https://blog.dol.gov/2023/10/05/4-types-of-employment-laws-that-can-help-domestic-violence-survivors-at-work    October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Image of a woman holding up her hand, palm forward, and a purple domestic violence awareness ribbon.Domestic violence, which touches 17 million people in the U.S. each year, doesn't only affect survivors' physical and mental health and safety, it also impacts their ability to work and their economic security. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that nationally, 15.9 million women (12.7%) and 6.7 million men (5.7%) have missed at least one day of work due to intimate partner violence in their lifetime. In another study of women in transitional housing programs, shelters and other domestic violence programs, more than half of the survivors surveyed said they ha...

It’s been over two years, since we filed her lawsuit. We waded through a complicated case, but with patience and persistence we finally prevailed via mediation with former Judge Richard McDermott. Through is all; my client pushed past her anxiety, and remained resolute in her resolve to hold some very powerful people accountable. She stood up against abuses of power that included sexual harassment, retaliation, and a whole lot of gaslighting - not to mention discovery schenaningans the likes of which I have never seen. Congratulations Ms. Maes ;). 

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 11, 2024 EEOC Research Finds Unequal Opportunity in the High Tech Sector and Workforce   WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today released a report, “ High Tech, Low Inclusion: Diversity in the High Tech Workforce and Sector from 2014 - 2022 ” which highlights demographic disparities for workers in 56 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations and the industries employing them. The report assesses the current state of diversity in the high tech workforce and those employed in the high tech sector. It also discusses the most common discrimination charges filed by high tech sector workers with the EEOC, building on previous reports from 2016 and 2017 by the EE...

     Recently, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Meredith Holley of Eris Conflict Resolution. Ms. Holley is a  Workplace conflict mediator, communication coach, lawyer, and bestselling author. Her book Career Defense 101 is a must read for any women striving to make it in the professional arena. Career Defense 101 .  She and I have a lot in common. We both live and work in the pacific northwest. Both are, or until recently were, plaintiff's employment lawyers working to uphold worker's rights. Both have been subject to workplace sexual harassment. In Ms. Holley's case she was able to address the sexual harasser in a way that allowed her to continue working with them safely for years afterward. She no longer litigates, but she does share her knowledge and skills to enable other workers to survive targeting, harassment, and other forms of hostile work environments without losing their professional momentum - or their minds!  A couple of weeks ago, I met...

 Though many corporate Defendants still try to slip in illegal Non-Disparagement or Non-Disclosure agreements into Settlement Agreements in Employment Law Cases the law could not be more clear that these clauses are now VOID as AGAINST Public Policy: The intent of the Silence No More Act is straight forward: “ The legislature recognizes that there exists a strong public policy in favor of the disclosure of illegal discrimination, illegal harassment, illegal retaliation, wage and hour violations, and sexual assault, that is recognized as illegal under Washington state, federal, or common law, or that is recognized as against a clear mandate of public policy, that occurs at the workplace, at work-related events coordinated by or through the employer, between employees, or between an employer and an employee, whether on or off the employment premises. Nondisclosure and non-disparagement provisions in agreements between employers and current, former, prospective employees, and independ...