As a result, employers should refrain from requesting written certification from employees’ healthcare providers regarding employees’ routine requests to use reasonable break time to express breast milk. The Washington legislature amended Washington’s law on workplace pregnancy accommodations to prohibit employers from requiring written certification from employees’ healthcare providers for employees to be able to use reasonable break time to express breast milk at work. The new chapter also mandates the state Department of Social and Health Services to convene a stakeholder work group to recommend policy changes and best practices, and permits the department to conduct investigations to ensure compliance with the new law. Specifically, the bill requires covered employers to: (1) implement a plan to prevent and protect long-term care workers from abusive conduct, to assist employees working in environments with challenging behavior, and work to resolve issues affecting the provision of personal care (2) inform employees of instances of discrimination and abusive conduct occurring in or around the service recipient’s home care setting prior to assigning the employee to that service recipient and (3) keep a record of any reported incidents of discrimination or abusive conduct. The Washington legislature created a new chapter under RCW 49 that grants specific protections to long-term care workers. Nevertheless, employees may now bring citizenship and immigration status discrimination claims against employers under the WLAD.
Employers, however, must still comply with federal and state law regarding the employment of undocumented workers. The new amendment also grants protections to undocumented immigrants who are otherwise engaging in lawful behavior. The new amendment adds “citizenship or immigration status” as a protected class in the areas of employment, real estate, credit transactions, and insurance transactions. Prior to enactment of the new law, Washington state prohibited discrimination against individuals based on race, creed, color, national origin, families with children, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability. The legislature also amended the WLAD to prohibit employers from discriminating against individuals based on their citizenship or immigration status, except for differential treatment as authorized by federal or state law. hair texture and protective hairstyles” including, but not limited to, hairstyles such as “afros, braids, locks, and twists.” House Bill 2602. The legislature amended the definition of “race” under the WLAD to include any “traits historically associated or perceived to be associated with race, including. Overall, this year’s legislative session had less impact on employers than some recent years, but the legislature still made significant changes to employment laws in Washington that every employer should know.Ĭhanges to Washington Employment Laws Employers Should Knowįirst, the Washington legislature passed several amendments to the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), including amendments prohibiting employers from discriminating against individuals based on their hair, citizenship, or immigration status. The Washington legislature approved using $200 million in state budget reserves to fund its response to the virus, significantly cut the spending it had originally proposed for the state’s supplemental operating budget, and passed some notable legislation for employers along the way. Washington state’s 60-day legislative session ended on Thursday, March 12, 2020, after the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the state drastically changed the outcome of this year’s session. The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Statement Against Anti-Asian Racism and Hate
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