Small Business Requirements & Resources Workshop Coming to Bellingham in January

Dear Business:

• Have you ever been confused by state regulations?
• Are you unsure if you’re fully in compliance and up-to-date?
• Do you know your Paid Family and Medical Leave responsibilities?
• Want to avoid paying penalties?

We’re here to help!

Come to a workshop with business-friendly representatives from the Washington State Departments of Revenue, Employment Security, Labor & Industries, and the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Innovation and Assistance. They’ve teamed up to bring important information to businesses.

Learn:

• Regulation updates
• Valuable programs & services
• A one-stop website
• Best practices & tips for success

Bring:

• Questions
• Pain points
• Suggestions

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

9:30 a.m. to noon, Whatcom Community College, Syre Auditorium, 235 W Kellogg Rd, Bellingham, WA 98226

Register now on Eventbrite 

Complimentary registration. Limited seating.

QUESTIONS:

• Rafael Colón, ESD, 360-902-9540
• Cindy Autuchovich, DOR, 360-705-6634
• Andrew Bryan, L&I, 800-987-0145

New Overtime Rules - What Employers Need to Know and Do 

Federal Changes to Overtime Rules Go Into Effect January 1, 2020; State Changes Go Into Effect July 1.

Employers are required to pay time and a half for all hours beyond 40 in a workweek unless an employee’s job meets the requirements of a specific exemption in the law.  The most common exemptions are those often collectively called the “white collar” exemptions, primarily affecting managerial and professional employees.

To be overtime exempt, these employees generally must be paid a fixed salary, must perform certain defined job duties, and their salary must meet or exceed the salary threshold.  A new federal rule, effective Jan. 1, 2020, increases the minimum salary to $35,568 per year, or $684 per week. 

New state rules, effective July 1, 2020 and implemented over several years, will affect both the minimum exempt salary and the job duties tests. However, because the federal minimum in 2020 will be greater than the state’s minimum, the new state rules won’t affect the required minimum salary until 2021.  They will, however, affect the job duties tests.

In 2021, the minimum salary will be 1.5 times Washington’s minimum wage for small employers (50 or fewer employees) and 1.75 times minimum wage for larger employers, as established in state law.  That’s estimated to be about $43,004, or $827 per week, for small employers and $50,180, or $965 per week, for larger employers.

For the years 2022 through 2028, the minimum exempt salary threshold will rise annually as the Washington minimum wage and the multiplier rise.  From 2028 forward, the minimum salary threshold for an exempt employee will be 2.5 times minimum wage.

In addition to qualifying for overtime pay, non-exempt workers must also receive other protections under the state’s Minimum Wage Act, including paid sick leave.

For more information, see L&I’s Changes to Overtime Rules webpage.

Seeing 2020: L&I Expands Offerings of Workshops and Webinars in the New Year

A New Decade Brings New Offerings from L&I: Essentials for Business Workshops and Spanish Webinars.

Start the new decade right by attending one of our workshops or webinars to get 2020 L&I requirement updates, resources, and ways to protect your business and workforce.

You will learn:

• The essentials about workers' compensation, quarterly reporting, what to do if your employee is injured, wage and hour laws, and contractor registration rules
• How to access a range of L&I resources designed to help your business save time and money
• Various ways L&I partners with you to keep your workforce safe and healthy

Workshops are also available online in webinar format!  New for 2020, L&I will be tripling the number of webinars offered throughout the year, offering both evening webinars and webinars in Spanish for the first time!

Upcoming L&I Essentials for Business Workshops and Webinars will be held:

• January 14, Webinar
• January 30, Tacoma
• February 6, Webinar (in Spanish)
• February 12, Tukwila
• February 20, Vancouver
• February 25, Webinar (Evening)
• March 10, Silverdale
• March 11, Sequim
• March 12, Spokane Valley
• March 18, Bellingham
• March 19, Tumwater
• March 24, Yakima

View the schedule to register.

For more information contact the L&I Small Business Liaison Office at 1-800-987-0145 or SmallBusiness@lni.wa.gov

Minimum Wage Increases to $13.50 Per Hour in 2020

January 1, 2020 Marks the Start of a New Year, a New Decade, and a New Minimum Wage in the State of Washington. 

The 2020 Minimum Wage in the state of Washington is $13.50 per hour. Washington employers must pay most employees at least the minimum wage for every hour worked as well as for earned paid sick leave.

Local Minimum Wage Rates

Some local jurisdictions have higher minimum wage rates and additional labor rules than Washington state. The more generous minimum wage applies in these localities:

Seattle:

• $16.39/hour for Large Employers (501 or more employees)
• $15.75/hour for Small Employers (500 or fewer employees), OR
• $13.50/hour for Small Employers (if the employer pays $2.25/hour towards medical benefits and/or the employee earns $2.25/hour in tips)

SeaTac:

• $16.34/hour for Hospitality and Transportation Industry Employers

Future Minimum Wage Rates

Starting in Sept. 2020, L&I will calculate and adjust the next year's minimum wage based on inflation, using the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). This new minimum wage will take effect January 1 of the following year.

Opportunity to Use Paid Family & Medical Leave Begins in January

After Jan. 1, 2020, Employees May Apply for Paid Family & Medical Leave Through the Employment Security Department.

Visit the Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave website for more information about assessing eligibility, duration of leave, and how to apply.