Washington State just passed a new law that basically says, “Hey bosses, you can’t just ghost your workers before a big layoff!” The state’s making sure companies don’t pull a disappearing act when things go south. It's like giving employees a heads-up before the economic party ends and the lights turn off.
Here are Five Fast Facts on new worker protections in Washington State:
- 👀 Layoff Lookouts - Employers with 50+ workers must give at least 60 days’ notice for mass layoffs — no more surprise “survivor-style” eliminations. The new notice is similar to the federal WARN act.
- 👍 Leave = Safe Space - Workers taking paid family or medical leave aren't allowed to be included in mass reductions.
- 🤝 Helping Hand - The law also makes sure workers get info about benefits and help finding new gigs. Apparently, they want the whole process to be so annoying that companies won't do mass layoffs at all! (not that we're complaining about that, of course...)
- ⏳ Buying Time - The idea behind the law is to give workers time to get training, find a new job, or at least line up necessary benefits before the axe comes down. It is unclear how much losses companies will take in stolen office supplies during that time.
- 🔨 Or Else - A company that fails to give proper notice is subject to financial and benefits penalties for up to 60 days to those employees who are affected. There are exceptions for company closure or events that are "not reasonably foreseeable" 60 days ahead, like natural disasters.
🔥Bottom line: In short, Washington is telling big businesses: if you’re about to drop the job-loss hammer, at least send a warning text first. Workers deserve more than just a "Byeeeee" sign taped to their cubicles.
What do you think of this new law?
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