Proposed Rules Released for City of Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance

The Seattle Office for Civil Rights has recently released proposed administrative rules for the City of Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance which takes effect on Sept. 1, 2012 (click here for a DWT summary of the Ordinance).

Following the adoption of the final rules for the ordinance, Davis Wright Tremaine will schedule a workshop for employers to assist them with navigating the various complexities of the ordinance and will be available to answer questions to ensure compliance with the ordinance prior to Sept. 1, 2012. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Mary Drobka, Gillian Murphy or Kate Tylee. The proposed rules are located at: www.cityofseattle.net/civilrights/SickLeave.htm.

Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance will have far-reaching implications for employers who have employees that work in Seattle (whether regularly or occasionally), even if the employer has existing sick leave or PTO policies. The ordinance will require covered employers to review and revise their existing policies (and related payroll practices) to comply with the extremely detailed provisions of the ordinance. To ensure compliance, employers will need to have an understanding of the complex ordinance, conduct a detailed analysis of their current policies/practices, and make careful decisions where gray areas in the ordinance exist. 

Employers and members of the public will have until Monday, April 30, 2012 to comment on the proposed rules. Should you have any questions or concerns about the ordinance, we encourage you to attend the community meetings scheduled in April for public comment or provide your feedback and questions to the Seattle Office for Civil Rights. The two community meetings will be held: 

• Thursday, April 12, 8:30-10:30 a.m., Bertha King Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Avenue
• Tuesday, April 17, 3:00-5:00 p.m., Treehouse, 2100 24th Avenue South, Room A

To request language interpretation or an accommodation for a disability for the meetings, please contact Thai Nguyen at 206-684-4514 or thai.nguyen@seattle.gov.

The final rules will be formulated based on the comments and questions received from employers and the public. The rules will define the terms in the ordinance and will outline how Seattle Office for Civil Rights will enforce the ordinance. You may email comments to: rulecomment@seattle.gov, comment online at www.seattle.gov/civilrights/comment.htm, or by telephone to 206-684-4507. Additionally, you may send comments in writing to:

Seattle Office of Civil Rights
810 Third Avenue, Suite 750
Seattle, WA, 98104-1627
Attn: Paid Sick/Safe Time Rule Comment