Employment Law in Motion
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The Particularities of Trade Secret Identification
It is not uncommon for employers to discover that a departing employee has downloaded information before walking out the door. But the mere fact that an employee downloaded information does not necessarily mean the employee—or his or her new employer...
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Update on Jurisdictions Exceeding Washington State’s Minimum Wage in 2025: Burien and Everett
As we discussed in a previous blog post, the Washington State minimum wage increased to $16.66 per hour on January 1, 2025. This new state wage also impacts the salary levels for the white-collar exemptions from the minimum wage. In a separate blog post, we also discussed the minimum wages in multiple jurisdictions within Washington that exceed the Washington State minimum wage, and which also increase each year to account for inflation, including Bellingham, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Tukwila, and unincorporated King County. These updates continue as Burien voters recently approved a ballot measure to align Burien’s minimum wage ordinance with Tukwila’s ordinance, and Everett joined the jurisdictions increasing their minimum wage to exceed Washington State’s minimum wage.
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Washington State Law Provides Agricultural Cannabis Workers the Right to Unionize
A recently passed Washington State House Bill permits agricultural workers to unionize under the supervision of Washington’s Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC).
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RealID Deadline Is Approaching: What this Means for Employers and Employees
As many are aware, starting on May 7, 2025, RealIDs will be required for certain activities, including flying domestically and accessing federal buildings that require identification. Although passport books and passport cards qualify, most people will be relying on enhanced state-issued driver licenses to comply with RealID requirements.
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Employer Cooperation with Law Enforcement Requests for Information
Recent developments at the federal government level have generated increasing questions regarding employer’s requirements to cooperate with law enforcement at the local level. Law enforcement may have a variety of reasons for contacting or visiting a place of employment. Sometimes law enforcement is actively involved in the investigation of crimes, or may be working with immigration or other local, state, or federal government agencies to enforce laws. Other times, law enforcement may be seeking information on employees for emergency purposes, or simply making courtesy calls at local businesses for community relations as part of community-based policing programs.
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Washington State Seeks to Ban Noncompetes Altogether
With the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed nationwide ban on noncompetes seemingly dead, states continue to march forward with their own regulation of such agreements. Washington’s current law bans noncompetes for employees making less than a...
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