labor standards
Farmers and growers seek leeway under new agriculture overtime law
Agricultural workers in Washington will attain a historic milestone next month when, for the first time in state history, they will earn overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours in a week. The achievement is the result of 2021 legislation negotiated by labor advocates, agricultural producers and lawmakers that erased language in state […]
Union sues to stop state purchase of psychiatric hospital until labor dispute is resolved
The union representing over 200 former employees of a behavioral health hospital Washington plans to buy for nearly $30 million has filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the sale until an arbitrator can determine whether the deal abides by the union’s contract. SEIU Healthcare 1199NW sued Cascade Behavioral Health on Aug. 24, alleging […]
WA sues O’Reilly Auto Parts for mistreating pregnant employees
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced a civil rights lawsuit against O’Reilly Auto Parts on Wednesday for mistreatment of at least 22 pregnant workers. “I want to underline and underscore that we believe the number of individuals who were harmed is much, much higher than that,” Ferguson said. The allegations against the major auto parts […]
‘Severe violator’: Dollar Tree fined again for breaking worker safety rules
Dollar Tree is a recurring violator of Washington’s worker safety regulations and is getting hit with financial penalties as a result, the state Department of Labor and Industries said this week. The major discount retail chain faces $132,000 in fines after the state’s latest inspection of a store in Tacoma revealed “three repeat willful violations […]
In much of U.S., workers lack protections from wildfire smoke
Millions of American workers have breathed in dangerous levels of air pollution this year as smoke from Canada’s record wildfire season blankets cities across the Northeast. Now experts are calling on federal regulators to adopt standards protecting outdoor workers from worsening air quality, potentially modeled after the few states that have such standards, including California […]
Yakima orchard owners settle yearslong lawsuit, paying $500K in back wages
The owners of two Yakima orchards have paid $500,000 in back wages to over 400 farmworkers, settling a yearslong lawsuit brought by the state. The settlement comes after a Department of Labor and Industries investigation found that workers at G&G Orchards Inc. and RC Orchards LLC weren’t paid properly for the fruit they harvested between […]