Minimum Wage Increases Begin January 1, 2017

Voters in Washington State have approved a ballot initiative that raises the state minimum wage and requires paid sick leave.

Minimum Wage
Under the initiative, the minimum wage will rise as follows:

• Beginning January 1, 2017: .00 per hour.
• Beginning January 1, 2018: .50 per hour.
• Beginning January 1, 2019: .00 per hour.
• Beginning January 1, 2020: .50 per hour.
• Beginning January 1, 2021 (and each following January 1st), the minimum wage will be adjusted for inflation.

Note: An employer must pay to its employees all tips and gratuities and all service charges (except those that are itemized as not being payable to the employee(s) servicing the customer). Tips and service charges paid to an employee are in addition to (and may not count towards) the employee's hourly minimum wage.

Paid Sick Leave
Beginning January 1, 2018, every employer must provide each of its employees paid sick leave (at the greater of the newly increased minimum wage or the employee's normal wage). Highlights of the law are presented below:

• Beginning January 1, 2017: .00 per hour.
• Beginning January 1, 2018: .50 per hour.
• Beginning January 1, 2019: .00 per hour.
• Beginning January 1, 2020: .50 per hour.
• Beginning January 1, 2021 (and each following January 1st), the minimum wage will be adjusted for inflation.

Click here to read the initiative.

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