Are You Wondering How the Pay Rate Will Change in the New Year?

Firstly, in the new year, the pay rate or minimum wage will increase to $11.50. This is due to initiative 1433, which was passed by Washington voters in 2016. This initiative increases the minimum wage by 50 cents every year until 2019 (in 2020 it will increase by $1.50).

Data courtesy of the Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries (http://ow.ly/qAX130ls9Ev)

Secondly, employers, beginning this new year, will be required to provide paid-sick-leave. Most employees will accumulate this leave at a rate of one-hour sick-leave for every 40 hours worked. This rate also applies to part-time workers and seasonal workers. Additionally, any unused sick-leave for a year will carry over to the next year.

Lastly, let’s talk about holiday pay. Federally, there is no requirement for employers to pay an employee extra for working on a holiday, by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Even though it is not required, many employers still pay their workers time and a half for working holidays.

Sources

You can learn more about the history of minimum wage in Washington state in the link (going back as far as 1961).

A detailed description of initiative 1433 can be found in the following link.

Find a more detailed description of holiday pay in the link!