Not everyone in Seattle who googles, "employment law" is looking for a plaintiff's employment attorney:

If you are looking for help with other "employment law" issues, here are some local resources who may be better able to serve you:

Linda S. Fang and her firm Banyan Legal Counsel

Employment Law: Human Resources (HR) Advice and Counseling

Business Startup and Expansion

Contract Drafting, Negotiation

Audits, Investigations, and Complaints

Jeannette Adams Gorman and her firm Socius Law Group

Business Services 

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Business Growth

Litigation Defense

Real Estate

Employment and Labor Resources

Tax Planning 

Local Kent Company [Carlisle Interconnect Technologies Inc.] closes shop, [Blames Covid-19], but this is not the first time CIT disappoints employees.

 https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/profit-not-pandemic-is-driving-closure-of-aerospace-suppliers-575-employee-kent-plant/  

Company blames Covid-19. But,

Internal company documents reveal a plan — internally code-named Project Cyprus — to move 30% of the annual business previously projected for Kent to China, another 26% to Mexico and most of the rest to other U.S. locations.

Michaels said that while transferring manufacturing to Mexico remains standard for U.S. aerospace companies, sending it to China is “against the grain” at this moment of high political tension in U.S.-China relations.

The Carlisle Interconnect Technologies manufacturing plant in Kent [closed in August.] (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)

Gender Discrimination Lawsuit filed agaisnt Carlisle Interconnect Technologies in King County Superior Court. 

Read the full complaint here: Carlisle Interconnect Technologies Inc. Lawsuit

Indigent injustice: Criminal Defense, Family Defense (dependency), Adult Guardianship

"[M]illions of Americans continue to find the odds stacked heavily against them in legal proceedings they are forced to navigate alone, confused by the rules and outmatched by state or private adversaries. Too often, it’s a profound injustice.

This article relates to criminal defendants, parents in dependency cases, and vulnerable adults in guardianship cases. Read more: HERE.

This report explores Washington’s Foster Care System: Susannah Frame on DCYF

You have been handed a Severance Agreement - now what?

It's happening all over the place. Your temporary Covid-19 furlough or lay-off has turned into a termination. Your company has handed you a severance letter that includes a lot of language requiring you to do things and refrain from doing things. It may offer a nominal sum of money. Should you sign the severance agreement? 

the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has some advice on the severance agreements. Click Here to review the full article.

Overview: 

• Make sure that you understand the agreement
• Check for deadlines and act promptly
• Consider having an attorney review the severance agreement
• Make sure you understand what you are giving up in exchange for severance pay or benefits
• Review the agreement to ensure that it does not ask you to release nonwaivable rights

Gainey Law Dependency Cases

 

ABA presents:

We are the Lucky Ones: Reunification Stories by Former Foster Youth

We have collected powerful stories of individuals who entered the child welfare system when they were children and were eventually returned to their parents.

• Diana is now a psychology major in college and hopes to help children who are going through the same experiences she once did. Read Diana's story.
• Terrell recounts his feelings of hearing other adults speak badly of his mother, who is now his best friend and inspiration. Read Terrell's story.
• Indira and Titus are siblings who were separated from each other when they were removed from their home. As children, they were powerless to decide what happened to them and felt their voices were not heard. Now as adults, they decided to tell us what they experienced and how they felt, so that all of us can learn from their stories. Read Indira's and Titus's stories.
  

--Jey Rajaraman, Chief Counsel, and Chiori Kaneko, Staff Attorney, Legal Services of New Jersey

Work, Safety, and Covid-19 Grievances

As we all head back to work, what can you do if your workplace is unsafe? Can unions protect you? How do you protect yourself? Info can be found here: Covid-19 Grievances 

Is your ex harassing you? Resources to use to protect yourself from harassment.

Harassment can be serious and dangerous. Take steps to protect yourself.

Here are some resources to help.

UPCOMING TRAINING TOMORROW AUGUST 27, 2020 Bystander Intervention to Stop Police Sponsored Violence and Anti-Black Racist Harassment training

Step by step flow chart to find out if you can apply for a protection order and which one applies to your circumstances: Go To King County Courts / Protection Order Info.

Hollaback.org offers trainings, information and education on stopping all forms of harassment: Go To iHollaback.org 

For inspiration while you educate yourself, perhaps some old school Gwen Stefani?:Gwen Stefani Song

Covid-19 Resources for non-profits and small employers available

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 Washington State employers start to re-open and talks of re-opening schools take center stage many employees have questions.

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. 

Anti-Racism Resources

    Sometimes I meditate. It helps decrease stress and it helps me focus on the tedious task of applying facts to law - the basic work of lawyers. I usually do it alone using the Headspace app. Sometimes I use the Calm App. Sometimes I join group meditations.  Top attorney and psychologist Lisa Blue  was holding Monday morning sessions for awhile which was great. And locally I have attended in person and (more recently) remote Zoom sessions through SIMS. Tuere Sala is my favorite teacher. She is a former prosecutor - meditation helped her deal with the stressors of law school and litigation. She also teaches Qi Gong, and I was lucky enough to score an instruction and practice DVD from her before the pandemic hit. It has been one of the tools I use to stay sane during this time. 

    Recently, as a member of  WSAJ's diversity committee, I was searching out anti-racism resources and discovered that  SIMS has a wonderful list of resources. I share them below for your convenience. This is a time of great upheaval and change. I hope as a country we rise to the massive opportunity afforded us to make real and lasting change towards a more just and equitable society. 

Antiracism Resources

Seattle Insight Meditation Society adds our voice to the outrage and heartbreak over the continued violence, prejudice and oppression directed at our Black and brown fellow citizens. While the outrage has a new expression, this is not a new problem. Our Black brothers and sisters live with racism daily, fearing for their lives, struggling against discrimination, and being treated as second-class citizens. The barriers to success and financial stability are very real. 

The shock and anger at George Floyd’s death are waking up a country that too easily forgets the daily oppression, racism, and violence that is a fact of life for our Black sisters and brothers. The comfort and security the dominant white culture enjoys are entrenched and risk putting us back to sleep. The unconscious white supremacy and fragility must be overcome. We must not go back to sleep.

We must seek to understand and heal the racism in our own hearts. We must act with wisdom and compassion, confronting and uprooting all aspects of racism. As Dharma practitioners, we are dedicated to understanding suffering and the end of suffering. The root of suffering is the illusion of a separate, isolated sense of self. Racism is a profound manifestation of the separation between self and “other”. By creating a separate self, we create an “other” to defend against, to oppress, to control. Healing racism is Dharma work. It requires inner transformation and outer action.

Please join us in taking concrete, specific steps. 

Sincerely,

Guiding Teachers and Board of Seattle Insight Meditation Society

Here are resources for both inner transformation and outer action. They offer a wide range to provide a starting point for your own work and engagement. Some information may be outdated. Find out more about Sims here.

Resources for Inner Transformation and Outer Action

There is a tremendous amount of resources to educate yourself in how to be an ally and not create harm in this time of transformation. Take the time to look through this long list and find areas that resonate with your heart.

ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION (COMPILED BY BARRE CENTER FOR BUDDHIST STUDIES)

• Books, articles, and videos on social justice and race and Dharma
• Glossary of Helpful Terms
• Organizations and Actions to Engage in Anti-Racist Work

Local Resources

CONTACT PUBLIC OFFICIALS

Our public officials respond to public input. Everyone’s voice is important right now.

• council@seattle.gov. (206) 684-8888
• jenny.durkan@seattle.gov. (206) 684-4000

BLACK-OWNED BOOKSTORES YOU CAN SUPPORT RIGHT NOW

• Consider multiplying your impact by ordering from a Black-owned bookstore
• Here is a great resource with a purchase link to many of the books above directly from a Black-owned bookstore.

RESOURCES TO BE AN ALLY TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY BY ASUW DIRECTORY OF DIVERSITY EFFORT

• Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) provides an excellent list of 8 actions you can take against injustice towards the Black community, tools specifically to educate white people, and more.
• Ways to Help - an excellent list of current resources from protest gatherings to places to donate

RESOURCES BY THE STRANGER

• Black Lives Matter: A Guide to Resistance Events, Black-Owned Restaurants, and Other Ways to Stand Against Racism in Seattle
• List of Black-Owned Businesses by The Stranger
• List of Black-Owned Restaurants in the Greater Seattle area

Reading Lists

AN ANTIRACIST READING LIST​ BY IBRAM X. KENDI
 

GOODREADS/LISTOPIA

#BlackLivesMatter reading list

LETTERS FOR BLACK LIVES

Letters for Black Lives is a set of crowdsourced, multilingual, and culturally-aware resources to help talk about racial injustices with your own family/community. Translated into various languages

WHY IS THIS ALL HAPPENING?

This page on the 100 Year Hoodie website steps you through different layers of what has led up to this moment.

WHITE PRIVILEGE: UNPACKING THE INVISIBLE KNAPSACK BY PEGGY MCINTOSH

Podcasts

• Code Switch
• About Race with Renni Eddo-Lodge
• The Stoop
• The chicken and Jollof Rice show
• The Nod
• GirlsLikeMe
• Identity Politics
• Uncivil
• Seeing White series
• The Stacks – book discussion podcast with episodes on ‘How to be Antiracist’, ‘The Bluest Eye’, and more
• Brene Brown’s interview w/ Ibram X. Kendi

Films

• Slavery by Another Name (PBS Documentary)
• 13th Directed by Ava DuVernay (can be found on Netflix)
• When They See Us (can be found on Netflix)
• Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap – Netflix
• Time: The Kalief Browder Story – Netflix
• Just Mercy – free to stream in June (YouTube, iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play)
• Malcolm X (Netflix)
• Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea (Netflix)
• Teach Us All (Netflix)
• Hidden Figures
• If Beale Street Could Talk (Amazon Prime)
• I Am Not Your Negro (Amazon Prime)
• Notes from the Field: Full Film (HBO, available on YouTube)
  In this adaptation of the Off-Broadway show, playwright Anna Deavere Smith dramatizes the accounts of students, parents, teachers and administrators affected by America’s school-to-prison pipeline, which pushes underprivileged, minority youth out of the classroom and into incarceration.

Series

• They Gotta Have Us (Netflix)
• Hip-Hop Evolution (Netflix)

Discussions

• NFL Player Ray Roberts shares his truth as a Black American