Mandatory Washington (WA) State Discrimination Posters for Employers

August 30th, 2006 Posted by Derrick

The Washington state discrimination posters are required to be displayed in workplaces throughout the state of Washington so that workers can know what types of discrimination they are protected against. The Washington state discrimination posters must be displayed in an area where all employees will have a good chance of seeing them. These posters must also contain the correct information including any information that was recently added, changed, or removed from the posters.

The Washington state discrimination posters let employees know that no person can be discriminated against because of his/her race, color, creed, age, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or handicap (including using a guide dog and/or having any type of disability). If a person believes he/she has been a victim of discrimination, that person should file a claim with the Washington State Human Rights Division. The Human Rights Division has offices in Olympia, Spokane, Seattle, and Yakima.

An alleged victim of discrimination can either call the office or complete an online form. Either way the complaint will not be finalized until an Intake Officer speaks with the alleged victim and decides if he/she has a claim against the employer. The alleged victim has six months from the time of the incident of discrimination to draft the complaint, have it notarized, and officially file it. Furthermore, employers aren’t bound by the anti-discrimination laws unless they have at least eight employees, they’re an employment agency or labor organization, or they perform certain practices dealing with HIV.

I would also like to mention that no worker can be discriminated against for filing a complaint dealing with discrimination in the workplace. Employees should make sure they know where the Washington state discrimination posters are displayed and what information is contained on the posters. With the knowledge of the anti-discrimination laws and the protection from retaliation, all workers should be able to defend themselves from unlawful discrimination.

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Washington (WA) Sexual Discrimination Law in the Workplace

August 29th, 2006 Posted by Hannah

The Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) outlines Washington sexual discrimination law in the workplace. It prohibits sexual discrimination.

Under the state’s laws, and “employer” is anyone who has eight or more employees. It does exclude religious and sectarian non-profit organizations. “Employees” are defined under state laws as being anyone employed by an employer except for those employed by parents, spouses or children and those who are providing domestic service for another person.

This law explains the prohibited actions as those that unfairly treat women during the hiring and firing processes as well as in determination of compensation and terms of employment. It also includes sexual harassment and other actions that are degrading to women. Furthermore, treating pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions differently than any other illness or temporary disability is also prohibited.

WLAD and the federal laws differ slightly. First of all, WLAD covers employers with eight or more employees and Title VII only applies to those with fifteen or more employees. Also, WLAD now includes and prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation which is not covered under Title VII.

If you feel your civil rights have been violated, you have several choices of recourse. First of all, you can check with local ordinances and go through a local agency for enforcement. Be aware, however, that the different city and county ordinances have different filing deadlines.

If you want to file a federal claim, you can go through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and you have 180 from the incident to file with them. To do file with the EEOC, you’ll need to provide your contact information, your employer’s contact information and a detailed description of what happened.

The Washington State Human Rights Commission will also investigate claims against WLAD if you make your claim within six months of the incident. If you want, you can also to through the state courts where you have three years from the incident to file your complaint.

Because there are so many options as well as several variations from the federal laws, it is very important that employers and employees both keep informed about their rights and responsibilities when it comes to discrimination in the workplace. Employers should also always keep a current Washington Complete Labor Law Poster posted in the workplace.

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Washington Discrimination Notice Law

August 12th, 2006 Posted by Nicole

I found that the discrimination laws are very standard across the states due to Federal regulations and strict guidelines. In the state of Washington, it is illegal for an employer to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a disabled person.

The Washington courts have determined that the Washington state law may be interpreted more broadly than the Federal law concerning discrimination. This broad interpretation is because it is the state’s policy that “discrimination invades the underpinnings of a free and democratic state.” Thus, you may find that protection under the state law is broader than under the Federal law. Additionally, in areas regarding disability discrimination and sex discrimination, the state law provides more coverage to employees than the Federal law.

If you want to file a claim in Washington, you can file either with the Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC) or with eh Federal administrative agency that handles discrimination claims – the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). These two agencies have a work-sharing agreement, which means that you only have to file with one agency and request that your claim get cross-filed.

It is also important to note that the Washington anti-discrimination law is applicable to employers that are not covered by Federal law. As such, if you have between 8 and 14 employees, you need to file with the WSHRC. The EEOC enforced situations in which an employer has more than 15 employees. However, the Washington law does not cover religious or sectarian non-profit employers. If your claim has to do with wage discrimination, you can file it if you have between 1 and 14 employees.

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