A new Seattle ordinance was signed into law on September 23rd – what does this mean for you? It means you must prepare to provide "Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time" – a special bank of accrued, job-protected, paid time off – to all employees who do work in Seattle. The new 50-page Seattle law is complex and contains many surprising details.
Pam Salgado and Dan Thieme, Littler Mendelson shareholders, will help you decipher the law and its implications for your business. They plan to address:
- Who's In, Who's Out - To which employees should you give the new benefits?
- What you will need to change about your existing paid leave program, if you want to use it to comply with Seattle law.
- Why you might be better creating a separate Seattle paid time bank.
- The PTO Trap - The penalty built into the law for larger employers who use a PTO program to comply.
- Tracking – The requirement that accrual be based on hours worked – not based on employee status – and what alternatives may be available.
Other important issues including reporting requirements, how to apply caps on leave, reinstatement issues, dealing with job protection, and the ERISA alternative.
Why Should You Start Planning Now? Although the law is not effective until September 1, 2012, early planning is highly advised to address the following:
- Systems modifications may be necessary to permit tracking leave accruals based on hours worked, or to permit reporting available leave balances to employees with each payroll
- Contracts and procedures with third-party administrators may need to be modified
- Amendments to existing paid leave programs in collective bargaining agreements may need to be negotiated with unions
- You may wish to consider adopting a paid leave program covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), to allow you to assert ERISA preemption as to your business
Presentation: 10am - 11:30am PST
Q&A: 11:30am - 12:00pm PST
Webinar log-in information will be provided after you have registered online.
Questions? Email Keith Upton or call (415) 399-8450
Speakers
