More for the Minimum

Although we are in the doldrums of winter, Washington workers can expect a little more silver lining their pockets this year. Washington's new minimum wage law went into effect on January 1, 2017, raising wages from $9.47 to $11.00. This increase was a result of Initiative 1433 which passed with over 57% of the vote in November. The law provides for a gradual increase to $13.50 by 2021, then there will be a yearly cost of living adjustment based on the National Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

The City of Seattle guarantees even higher wages for workers. Minimum wage for Seattle is based primarily on two factors: size of the company and whether the employer pays towards medical benefits. For example, a worker at a company with over 500 employees where the employer does not contribute $2 towards medical benefits will earn $15/hr in 2017. This is one of the highest minimum wages in the country; but is it enough? Many argue it's not even close, while others predict dire consequences with high minimum wages. How did we get here and has anything changed in the last 80 years since the first minimum wage?

Labor Archives of Washington

Curious about the labor movement in Washington State?


I.W.W. poster from Labor Archives of Washington guide

Check out the Labor Archives of Washington (LAW).

[It] was founded to preserve the records of working people and their unions and to serve as a center for historical research, ensuring that new generations have access to the rich labor history of the region. A unit of the Special Collections Department of the University of Washington Libraries, the Labor Archives is a collaborative project of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the University of Washington Libraries. Funding for the Archives comes largely from the labor movement.

The digital collections include a wide variety of material, from the Seattle General Strike of 1919 to the WTO protests in 1999.

There are also records from many unions and individuals, including some lawyers:

• John Caughlan papers. Seattle civil rights attorney, active 1937-1990. In the 1940s and 1950s he represented labor unions, union activists, the Communist Party, the Washington Pension Union, Henry Huff in the Smith Act, foreign-born residents facing deportation because of their political activities, and individuals accused of "subversive" or "un-American" activities in cases related to the Smith Act, the McCarran Act, and the McCarran-Walter Act.
• Cynthia K. Gillespie papers. Feminist activist, attorney, author. Feminist activist, attorney, author. Founder and first Executive Director of Northwest Women's Law Center, Seattle, 1978-1980. A practicing attorney with emphasis on family law and women's rights.
• Mark M. Litchman Papers, 1901-1965. Attorney, civil rights activist, Jewish communal leader. Mark Litchman was born in 1887, and died 1960. Litchman defended prospective deportees from deportation, 1918-1920, 1931; the "Seattle Union Record" against sedition charges, 1919-1920; socialists and members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) incarcerated in Yakima, 1933; and represented Haverty in International Stevedoring Company v. Haverty, leading to abolition of fellow-servant doctrine, 1926. He was a member of the King County Housing Authority, 1939- , and of the Executive Board of the ACLU Washington until 1955.

Congratulations to the team at the Labor Archives of Washington!
It is receiving the 2013 John Sessions Memorial Award for its steady stream of exhibits, outreach efforts to the community and the impressive LibGuides site and digital collections portal site. This award is sponsored by the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO and presents a citation to a library or library system that has brought recognition to the labor movement in the United States.

Alexander Wang's Recovery from Labor Lawsuit "Shaft" to Creative Director "Stud"

Earlier this year, former employees of Alexander Wang filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that the designer and 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund recipient maintained sweatshop-like conditions in his New York factory. Since the settlement and dismissal of the lawsuit in August, it seemed that the designer was laying low. His Spring 2013 line produced mixed reviews (as fashion lines typically do), further perpetuating the idea that perhaps the designer had been rattled by the lawsuit's negative publicity.

It is not uncommon for individuals and businesses to suffer when recovering from a public lawsuit - regardless of the lawsuit's outcome. The recovery for Alexander Wang now seems to be...more studs! Wang has been named Balenciaga's new Creative Director indicating a turning point for him since the lawsuit. While some have expressed surprise at the direction Wang and Balenciaga have taken, it seems fitting since both have an obvious attraction to hardware!

If you want to learn how you can help potential clients avoid labor lawsuits, the library offers labor law resources for interested attorneys and attorneys-in-training. See our Research in Labor & Employment Law: Secondary Sources guide, and Research in Labor & Employment Law: Databases guide.

Photo Credit 1: Alexander Wang
Photo Credit 2: Balenciaga

Reducing Holiday Liability with 'The Company Party Checklist'

Ah, the office holiday party. At best, an awkwardly enjoyable fishbowl of free booze and treats on the company dime; at worst, a festival of liability that presents an open invitation to inappropriate canoodling, drunken slurs, and unwanted advances amongst employees, any one of whom might one day quit and sue you for fostering a hostile work environment, citing events that occurred one fine December evening when everyone was "supposed to be" having a good time.

Catherine Dunn, Reducing Holiday Liability with 'The Company Party Checklist', Corporate Counsel (law.com), Dec. 14, 2011.

To reduce the risk of a "festival of liability," Proskauer employment lawyer Enzo Der Boghossian offers a checklist for employers hosting parties:

• Remind employees that the party is a work event.
• Remind everyone of the company's anti-harassment policy.
• Hold the party at an establishment with a liquor license and professional bartenders who will cut off the people who have had too much.
• Perhaps forgo alcohol altogether.
• Review your insurance policy.

See also Tip of the Month: Holiday Parties – Simple Precautions to Prevent Post-Holiday Problems, Proskauer Client Alert, Dec. 9, 2009.

Even apart from potential liability, some of these tips could be applied to non-work parties.

Would you like some help tracking your own consumption? Check out Avvo's Last Call iPhone app.  (See last year's post.)

Graphic credit: mw, using SketchBook Pro iPad app.

Interested in Labor and Industries Law in WA state?

If you are interested in labor law in Washington state and want to keep abreast of latest developments in this area, be sure to check out: Washington Workers' Compensation Law Blog. This blog is maintained by Sharpe Law Firm, a Seattle based firm which has been representing clients in this area of law for 30 years.

Hat tip to Inter Alia - Tom Mighell's legal technology blog.