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MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Leave Policies

Additional Rights for Employees at High Risk for Coronavirus Complications

April 15, 2020 by Karen Sutherland
Category: Leave Policies , COVID-19

This blog post reviews Proclamation 20-46, which provides additional rights and protections for workers at high risk for coronavirus complications.

New Federal Laws Support Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

April 3, 2020 by Linda Gallagher
Category: Leave Policies , COVID-19

This blog looks at resources that can help a local government provide financial support for employees, including the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Elected Officials and Benefits Programs

May 8, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Compensation , Leave Policies

Are elected officials covered by various state employee programs? This blog post answers that simple—and complicated—question.

Pop Quiz: Family Leave and Sick Leave Edition

January 14, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Take a short quiz to test your understanding of the Paid Family Leave and Sick Leave for employees.

Paid Family & Medical Leave Act: What does finance/payroll need to do?

November 27, 2018 by Toni Nelson
Category: Leave Policies

With 2019 on the horizon, local governments must begin to comply with new Paid Family & Medical Leave requirements. Finance Consultant Toni Nelson looks at what steps the finance department should take, beginning today.

Year-End Personnel Topics Pop Quiz

January 9, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Compensation , Termination , Leave Policies , Minimum Wage

Take a short quiz to test your memory of some common, personnel-related legal issues as well as new employment laws that came in to or remained in effect in 2017.

Legislature Enacts Paid Family Leave

September 13, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies , New Legislation and Regulations

The state legislature has adopted a bill that provides most employees in Washington State with paid leave to care for their health conditions, the health condition of a family member, or for the birth or placement of an adopted or foster child. This post summarizes the new legislation and some of the differences between it and the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Paid Sick Leave Starts January 1

September 5, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Starting January 1, 2018, all employers in the state, including all local government agencies, must provide paid sick leave for their employees. In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan responds to some possible questions about the new paid sick leave requirements.

Paid Sick Leave and Initiative 1433

March 27, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Initiative 1433, approved by the voters in November 2016, sets the minimum wage for most employees (currently $11.00 per hour). But the initiative does more than that. Starting January 1, 2018, every employer in the state, including local governments, will be required to provide its employees with paid sick leave. This blog post will explore how this new requirement will affect local governments in Washington State.

Three Things You Should Know about FLSA and the MWA (but Maybe You Don’t)

March 2, 2016 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies , Fair Labor Standards Act , Minimum Wage

Although the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state Minimum Wage Act (MWA) are not new, they still raise questions. Here are a few issues you may not be aware of.

Sick Leave Benefits for Local Government Employees, Part 4: Establishing Clear Policies

August 18, 2015 by Cabot Dow
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

Part 4 in this series provides some review, guidelines for establishing clear policies, summation, and attempt to wrap up the subject for now.

Sick Leave Benefits for Local Government Employees, Part 3: Some Recommendations

June 10, 2015 by Cabot Dow
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

MRSC HR Advisor Cabot Dow continues his series on sick leave with some policy recommendations for going forward.

Sick Leave Benefits for Local Government Employees, Part 2: Framework for Issue Assessment

April 10, 2015 by Cabot Dow
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

This is part two of a four-part series on the subject of sick leave benefits for local government employees, focusing on identifying issues to think about and questions to discuss regarding paid sick leave benefits.

Sick Leave Benefits for Local Government Employees Part 1: An Overview

March 2, 2015 by Cabot Dow
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

This blog post (written before Washington's sick leave law was passed) provides an introduction to local government sick leave policies.

"Employers Must Accommodate Religious Beliefs," Says Washington Supreme Court

September 1, 2014 by Nate Bailey
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

The Washington Supreme Court recently announced that the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) requires employers to accommodate employees' religious beliefs. The Court's recent decision in Kumar v. Gate Gourmet, Inc. marked the first time Washington's high court has directly...

New Bill Gives Public Employees Two Unpaid Religious Holidays Per Year: What Does It Mean for Employers?

June 30, 2014 by HR Advisor
Category: HR Advisor , Leave Policies

In 2014, Governor Inslee signed into law a bill giving public employees two unpaid religious holidays per calendar year. SB 5173, which passed with overwhelming support, was designed to provide flexibility to employees of faiths like Islam or Judaism whose holy...

OFM Defines "Undue Hardship" for Newly Required Unpaid Holidays

June 4, 2014 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Chapter 168, Laws of 2014, which goes into effect on June 12, entitles state and local government employees "to two unpaid holidays per calendar year for a reason of faith or conscience or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization." The Office of Financial Management (OFM) was given ...

Two New (Unpaid) Holidays for Government Employees

April 23, 2014 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Legislation (SSB 5173) passed during the 2014 session entitles local (and state) government employees to two unpaid holidays per calendar year “for reasons of faith or conscience or for an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization.”