Washington Minimum Wage and Sick Leave
Washington voters approved Initiative # 1433, which will increase the minimum wage and require employers to provide sick leave to all employees.
Effective January 1, 2017, the minimum wage will increase to $11.00 an hour for all employees who are eighteen or older. This minimum will increase each of the following years: 2018 – $11.50/hour; 2019 – $12.00/hour; 2020 – 13.50. The Department of L&I will adjust the minimum wage based on inflation each year thereafter.
Effective January 1, 2018, all employers will be required to provide sick leave to each employee at a rate of at least one hour per forty hours worked. Employees must be able to use accrued sick leave beginning on the 90th day of employment. Employees will be able to carry over sick leave to the next year up to 40 accrued hours. Sick leave does not need to be paid at termination, but if an ex-employee returns within 12 months, the employer will have to reinstate the previously accrued sick leave.
The approved initiative does not address employers that offer PTO rather than sick and vacation leave. We will need to wait for the Department of Labor & Industries to implement rules to determine whether PTO that meets the minimum requirements will be considered as compliant with the requirement.