Employers In Washington And Oregon Should Be Aware Of Paid Sick/Safe Time Requirements Passed By Seattle And Portland City Councils
Employees who perform work in Seattle or Portland – even on an occasional basis – may be entitled to paid sick or safe time in accordance with city ordinances.
Seattle Paid Sick/Safe Time
Under Seattle’s regulations, employers are required to provide paid sick/safe time (“PSST”) if they have more than 4 full-time equivalent employees (“FTEs”) who perform work in Seattle. The amount of PSST an employee may use in any calendar year depends on the size of the employer (measured in terms of FTEs). For small and mid-size employers (tiers 1 and 2), eligible employees are entitled to accrue 1 hour of PSST for every 40 hours worked. For large employers (tier 3), eligible employees are entitled to accrue 1 hour of PSST for every 30 hours worked. See the chart below:
| SEATTLE PSST | NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES (FTES) | ACCRUAL RATE | ANNUAL USAGE | ANNUAL CARRY OVER |
| Tier 1 | More than 4 FTEs | 1 hour per 40 hours worked (~ 6.5 days per year for FT) | 40 hours (5 days) | 40 hours (5 days) |
| Tier 2 | 50 or more FTEs | 1 hour per 40 hours worked (~ 6.5 days per year for FT) | 56 hours (7 days) | 56 hours (7 days) |
| Tier 3 | 250 or more FTEs | 1 hour per 30 hours worked (~ 9 days per year for FT) | 72 hours (9 days) or 108 hours (13.5 days) for PTO programs | 72 hours (9 days) or 108 hours (13.5 days) for PTO programs |
The annual usage and annual carry-over columns above are minimum requirements established by the Seattle PSST regulations. Employers may cap annual PSST usage and carry-over, as long as the minimum requirements are satisfied.
Portland Protected Paid/Unpaid Sick Time
Under Portland’s regulations, employers who operate within the Portland city limits must provide protected paid or unpaid sick time (“PST”). See the chart below.
| PORTLAND PST | NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES | ACCRUAL RATE | ANNUAL USAGE | ANNUAL CARRY OVER | |
| UNPAID PST | 5 or Fewer Employees | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | 40 hours (5 days) | 40 hours (5 days) | |
| PAID PST | 6 or More Employees | 1 hour per 30 hours worked | 40 hours (5 days) |
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The annual usage and annual carry-over columns above are minimum requirements established by the Portland PST regulations. Employers may cap annual PST usage and carry-over, as long as the minimum requirements are satisfied.
For additional information concerning this topic or any other labor and employment issue, please contact any of our attorneys directly at (206) 447-0182 or info@davisgrimmpayne.com.