For Immediate Release
Contact:
Cynthia Santana
Office of Labor Standards
206-256-5219
cynthia.santana@seattle.gov
SEATTLE (August 23, 2017) – The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) announces today it has passed the $1 million mark in remedies assessed for Seattle workers under Seattle’s labor standards laws.
This number represents the closure of more than 200 investigations, including those where OLS successfully negotiated settlement agreements with businesses who wanted to get into compliance once they realized they had violated the law. It also includes cases where OLS ordered businesses to come into compliance. The amount includes back wages, damages, and interest owed to employees under the City of Seattle’s five ordinances currently in effect: Minimum Wage, Wage Theft, Paid Sick and Safe Time, Fair Chance Employment, and Secure Scheduling.
“Seattle’s business boom goes hand in hand with our pro-worker policies and cutting-edge business community,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “Ensuring Seattle businesses honor our trailblazing labor standards is the only way to guarantee Seattle’s continued economic success. These remedies demonstrate Seattle’s leadership when it comes to sharing prosperity and prioritizing equity.”
Seattle is a national leader on labor standards implementation and enforcement, with many model businesses that are industry leaders in the treatment of workers, living wages, benefits and workforce equity. When businesses violate labor standards, OLS investigates to ensure they come into compliance and workers are paid the money they are due. OLS has also responded to over 6,500 requests for technical assistance from businesses and provided one-on-one training to hundreds more, as part of its ongoing education efforts. In addition, OLS partners with several community and business organizations to provide outreach and training to worker and business communities, with an emphasis on immigrant and refugee communities, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ community.
“Today marks a milestone in our commitment to ensure that Seattle workers receive the wages and benefits they’re entitled to as we build a culture of compliance in Seattle,” said OLS Director Dylan Orr. “Many Seattle businesses want to comply with Seattle’s labor standards, but when they don’t, it’s our job to enforce the law. Businesses and workers should operate on a level playing field, and when they do it is a win-win for everyone.”
For many Seattle workers, the payments they received make a significant difference in their lives. “The company where I worked reimbursed me over $20,000 in lost wages that I should have received,” said Neal Bailey, a Seattle dockworker. “They refused to give me the time I needed to care for a family member and put me in the position to choose between work and family. I wasn’t looking for special treatment, I just wanted what I was owed, and I wanted to make sure this would not happen to any of my co-workers. The Seattle Office of Labor Standards was instrumental in making me whole and making sure the company complied with the law.”
“I just moved to this state and I didn’t know much about worker’s rights,” explained an employee at a picture printing business, who speaks Mandarin. His employer was found to have committed more than $800 in wage theft and paid sick and safe time violations. “The money withheld from my paycheck wasn’t going toward my taxes. It would have had a big impact on my social security benefits. I feel like this was a great help for my family and I feel very appreciative to the Office of Labor Standards.”
The $1,012,483 figure represents payments assessed, not collected. The law department is working to enforce some of OLS’s orders in court, one large investigation is currently under appeal, and in another large investigation against a bankrupt business, OLS collected only a portion of the department’s original order. As of the end of this July, OLS successfully collected payments in approximately 90% of investigations where a remedy was due – a total of $518,822. Of investigations where a violation is found and a remedy is due, 83% end in settlement. OLS keeps a monthly dashboard of enforcement and outreach statistics, and also publishes example case stories on a quarterly basis.
For more information about the Office of Labor Standards, call 206-256-5297 or visit http://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards.
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