Seattle’s thriving restaurant industry provides jobs to many, but wage theft—when employers fail to pay workers what they’re owed—remains a significant issue. Despite Seattle’s strict labor laws, wage theft continues to impact restaurant workers. Here’s what restaurant employees need to know about wage theft and their legal rights. What Is Wage Theft? Wage theft occurs when employers don’t pay employees the full wages they’re entitled to. Common forms include: Wage Theft in Seattle Restaurants Restaurant workers are often vulnerable to wage theft for several reasons: Seattle’s Labor Laws and Penalties Seattle’s labor laws protect workers from wage theft and impose strict penalties for violations: Steps to Take if You’re a Victim of Wage Theft If you believe you’ve been subjected

Pregnancy discrimination is a serious issue that affects many women in the workforce. Despite laws such as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace, many women still face discrimination and mistreatment during their pregnancies. One form of discrimination that pregnant women may face is layoffs.Layoffs are a common occurrence in today’s workforce, and pregnant women are not immune to them. However, when a pregnant woman is laid off, it can be difficult to determine whether the layoff was due to her pregnancy or due to other factors such as company downsizing.If a pregnant woman is laid off and believes that her pregnancy was the reason for the layoff, she may have a case for

I get several calls from employees that are unfortunately getting let go or terminated from their company. Every client I go through this type of analysis to help them decide whether accepting or not accepting a severance is the way to go: Waiver of Legal Claims – A company doesn’t give severance out of the goodness of their hearts. They are buying the assurances that you will not sue them for any number of potential legal claims stemming from your termination. Those legal claims include but are not limited discrimination, harassment, unpaid wages, retaliation for opposing illegal activities, and claims for unpaid bonuses. When you get a severance agreement you should do some online research or talk to an attorney

I’ve been an employment attorney for over a decade and the above question is asked of me every time somebody comes to me with an employment related legal issue.  I thought I would share what I tell people who are considering lawsuits against their  just in case you need help evaluating whether you should sue your employer: Do I have a legal claim? This first question should be obvious. More often than not I’ll have potential clients come to me saying that they want to sue their employer because they just don’t like their boss. Ethically, attorneys cannot file litigation just to harass an employer. Most employee based lawsuits fall into a three buckets. Those buckets are: Unlawful Discrimination or