Washington Employee Rights
As an employee in Washington state, your rights are enforced by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). This department regulates employment laws in the state including wages, hours and benefits. Cases of discrimination are handled by the Washington State Human Rights Commission.
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Wages
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The minimum wage in Washington state is $8.55 per hour in 2010. All adult workers must be paid at least this wage. Under a 1998 voter-approved initiative, the minimum wage is adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). As a teen employee, you're entitled to 85 percent of minimum wage.
Overtime
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Overtime, or time-and-a-half pay, is mandatory for most employees who work more than 40 hours during a 7-day period. The days considered to be the beginning and end of each week, respectively, are not mandated by law but must be consistent at a given workplace.
A number of exemptions exist for the overtime requirement, including most salaried workers with executive duties, commissioned salespeople, and farm and ranch workers.
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Hours and Schedules
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As a worker, you do not have the right to advanced notice of schedule changes. Businesses can change your schedule at any time and for any reason. You do not have the right to be compensated for "show-up pay"--that is if you arrive at the job site and no work is available.
You are generally entitled to be paid for any time you are required by your employer to be someplace or be immediately available. This includes time spent changing into uniforms, being on-call, training and meetings.
Breaks and Meals
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While working, you are entitled to a paid 10-minute break time per every 4 hours worked. This time may or may not be split, for example a set of 5-minute breaks.
After 5 hours of work, you are entitled to a 30-minute meal break. This break must not start less than 2 hours or more than 5 hours into a shift. This break is not required to be paid, unless you are required to be on-call or be available to work during your meal break.
Benefits
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As an employee you are not entitled to sick, vacation or any other paid leave.
As a parent of a newborn child, you have the right to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if your employer has more than 50 employees and if you have worked for that employer for more than 12 months. Women are entitled to additional disability leave during pregnancy, with exemptions for companies with less than 8 employees and religious nonprofit employers.
Discrimination
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You have the right to protection from discrimination as a worker in Washington state. The 1964 Civil Rights Act bans the discrimination of workers based on "race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), or national origin." This means "discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral and other aspects of employment." Age and disability discrimination are also prohibited.
Complaints can be filed with the Washington State Human Rights Commission (800-233-3247). An employer cannot retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
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References
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