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Keelin Curran

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Keelin Curran advised employers on a range of complex employment issues such as ADA accommodation and leave law, non-competition agreements, and employee classification. Keelin listened to what employer’s goals are when facing EEOC charges, arbitrations and employment litigation and, working with a team where appropriate, provides efficient representation. Clients sought out Keelin to conduct investigations and mediations to limit risk and avoid expensive litigation. She provides engaging workplace training to managers and employees.

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Seattle restaurants and retail employers may soon face significant restrictions on employee scheduling.  The Seattle City Council is currently considering a proposed ordinance with the potential to impact hundreds of employers across the City.  Following are the basics of the proposed legislation.

What employers would be covered by the proposed ordinance?

  • Retail employers and large limited or quick food service employers with 500 or more employees worldwide; and
  • Full-service restaurants with 500 or more employees and 40 or more locations worldwide.

What employees would be covered by the proposed ordinance?

  • Hourly, non-exempt employees who work at least 50% of the time within the City of Seattle.

Continue Reading City of Seattle Proposes New Ordinance Regulating Employee Scheduling

On May 2, 2016, The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the legal challenge to the Seattle Minimum Wage Ordinance’s impact on Seattle franchisees (IFA v. Seattle–denial of cert).  We have blogged about Seattle’s Minimum Wage Ordinance (“Ordinance”) before. The Ordinance requires large businesses, defined as those with more than 500 employees, to…

Here’s a couple updates related to the Seattle Minimum Wage Ordinace.  Alas for Seattle employers, this is no April Fools joke.

Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Ordinance Becomes Law

As we’ve blogged about before, Seattle’s Minimum Wage Ordinance becomes law on April 1, 2015, raising the minimum hourly wage for Seattle’s lowest paid workers. On…

The U.S. Supreme Court handed a defeat to United Parcel Service (UPS) this week. At issue was whether UPS violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) by requiring a pregnant woman with lifting restrictions to go on leave during her pregnancy, while workers in certain other categories (such as those with on-the-job injuries) were allowed light duty. We consider the ruling and the lessons it holds for employer leave and accommodation policies below.

In a decision announced March 25, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that the district court, which had dismissed Young v. UPS (PDF) on summary judgment, must proceed to trial on the question of whether intentional discrimination occurred when a pregnant UPS employee was treated less favorably than others in similar situations.

The Court ruled in Young that under the PDA an employee can make a prima facie case of discrimination by showing that she was denied accommodation, while other sick or disabled workers with a similar inability to work were allowed accommodation. The employer then must show that it had a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for the difference in treatment to avoid liability, and if it makes such a showing the plaintiff can rebut the showing through evidence of pretext.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Sends UPS Pregnancy Accommodation Case to Trial

5352901The City of Seattle’s Minimum Wage Ordinance is set to take effect April 1, 2015.  When it does, Seattle will have the highest minimum wage in the nation, outpacing larger metropolises like San Francisco and New York City. Initially, Seattle workers will see a large increase above the State of Washington’s current $9.47 an hour minimum wage, up to either $10 or $11 an hour, depending on the size of the employer. Thereafter, the Seattle minimum wage will rise under a phased-in approach so that employee wages increase incrementally over the next three to seven years until the $15 per hour minimum is met by all employers. Once the $15 minimum is attained, wages will adjust with inflation. Below is a brief guide to the legislation and how it affects Seattle-area employers.

Draft Regulations Just Issued

On February 19, 2015, Seattle released long-awaited draft regulations interpreting the Ordinance, which will be discussed further below. Seattle is taking comments on the draft regulations through Friday, March 6, 2015. The text of the Ordinance and the draft regulations, the phased-in minimum wage schedules, and other information about the Ordinance can be found here: http://www.seattle.gov/civilrights/labor-standards/minimum-wage.Continue Reading Uncharted Territory: Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Ordinance

Our colleague, Alyson Palmer, noted on our Food Liability Law Blog that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published an interim final rule on February 13, 2014 creating the process for handling retaliation complaints brought by whistleblowers under Section 402 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Under the new rule, any…

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an interim final rule and request for comments regarding procedures for handling employee whistleblower complaints under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Section 1558. This part of the ACA added a new Section 18c to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which protects employees from retaliation for exercising certain rights under the ACA, including (1) receiving a federal tax credit or subsidy to purchase insurance through the employer or a future health insurance exchange, (2) reporting a violation of consumer protection rules under the ACA (which, for instance, prohibit denial of health coverage based on preexisting conditions and lifetime limits on coverage), and (3) assisting or participating in a proceeding under Section 1558.

The interim final rule states the time frames and procedures for bringing a whistleblower complaint under Section 18c and covers the investigation, hearing, and appeals processes. An employee has 180 days from the date of the alleged retaliation to bring a whistleblower complaint to the Secretary of Labor. Where a violation is found, remedies can include reinstatement, compensatory damages, back pay, and reasonable costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees). If the employee brought the complaint in bad faith, an employer may recover up to $1,000 in reasonable attorneys’ fees.Continue Reading OSHA Issues Interim Final Rules on Whistleblower Protection Provisions Under ACA

Beginning September 1, 2012, the City of Seattle will require that all but the smallest employers provide paid sick leave to their Seattle employees. Sick leave mandates under the new law increase depending on the size of a company’s workforce, and employees must be allowed to use the leave for their own or their family…