Employment Law Alert — Seattle Paid Sick Time and Paid Safe Time Ordinance

A new Seattle ordinance was signed into law on September 23rd. What does this mean for you? If you have any employees who work in Seattle, even occasionally, it means you must prepare to provide "Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time"—a special bank of accrued, job-protected, paid time off. The new 50-page Seattle law is complex and contains many surprising details.

Please join us for breakfast and dsicussion as we decipher this new law and its implications for your business.

We will cover:

• 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 the Seattle law.
• Why you might be better off 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 you should start planning now -  Although the law is not effective until September 1, 2012 early planning is advised:

• 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.

Seating is limited - so register today!

Registration & Breakfast: 8:00 a.m.
Program: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Location
One Union Square–Boardroom
(Lower Building Lobby–Fifth Avenue Level)
600 University Street
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 623-3300

CLE and SPHR/PHR credit will be requested.

Registration is $25 (includes 2 hours of parking in the One Union Square Garage)

Questions? email Cheri Devlin or call (408) 961-7105