For Immediate Release
Contact Information
Cynthia Santana
Phone: 206-256-5219
Email: cynthia.santana@seattle.gov
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Office of Labor Standards Announces Final Administrative Rules for the City of Seattle’s Cannabis Employee Job Retention Ordinance
Seattle, WA – (July 5, 2023) The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) announces final administrative rules for the Cannabis Employee Job Retention (CEJR) Ordinance.
The final rules reflect the City’s commitment to improve equitable outcomes in the cannabis industry and are the result of an inclusive stakeholder engagement process and comment period. Stakeholder engagement included multiple meetings with employees, employee advocates, and impacted employers.
The CEJR Ordinance will go into effect on July 19, 2023. This ordinance requires covered outgoing cannabis business employers to:
- Post written notice of a change in control
- Provide a preferential hiring list to the incoming cannabis employer
It also requires the incoming employer to:
- Retain covered employees for a certain period of time following the change
- Other hiring and retention requirements
The new rules clarify issues raised by the ordinance, including provisions related to preferential hiring, offer of employment, and discharge from employment for just cause. These rules go into effect on July 19, 2023, and will be referred to as “Seattle Human Rights Rules Chapter 230: Practices for administering Cannabis Employee Job Retention Requirements Under Seattle Municipal Code 8.38”
You can view the new rules Chapter 230 in its entirety by clicking here. More information and resources related to the CEJR Ordinance can be found on the CEJR Ordinance webpage on the OLS website.
For questions regarding the rules please call 206-256-5297 or email laborstandards@seattle.gov.
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