Spokane, Washington, Passes Paid Sick Leave Law: Various Documents Updated, Added

Authors: Melissa Burdorf, Marta Moakley and Beth Zoller, XpertHR Legal Editors

In January, the City of Spokane, Washington, passed an earned sick and safe leave (ESSL) ordinance, which takes effect January 1, 2017. The ordinance applies to all employers in the City of Spokane with at least one employee working in Spokane, but the amount of ESSL available for employee use per year depends on the employer's size:

  • 24 hours for employers with fewer than 10 employees; and
  • 40 hours for employers with 10 or more employees.

ESSL may be used for the following reasons:

  • The employee's or a family member's illness, injury or health condition;
  • Issues related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking;
  • Workplace or school closure due to a public health emergency; and
  • Bereavement.

The ordinance includes employer notice, recordkeeping and compliance certification requirements, and prohibits retaliation against employees who exercise their ESSL rights.

In light of this development, the following Washington sections of the Employment Law Manual have been updated:

These other documents have also been updated:

In addition, a Legal Timetable entry and the Spokane, Washington, Earned Sick and Safe Leave Notice Poster have been added.

The law sunsets upon implementation of the statewide paid sick leave law, January 1, 2018.