You understand these placards that present a restaurant’s meals security ranking? Quickly there might be one other signal subsequent to it that claims whether or not that enterprise has unresolved wage violations.
The King County Board of Well being authorized new guidelines including the placard, and permitting extra inspections of companies which might be dinged for unpaid wages or different labor violations.
“We predict on this second the place we see weakening requirements on the federal stage, having better coordination amongst entities between jurisdictions is the correct factor to do.” mentioned Board chair Teresa Mosqueda, who sponsored the modification.
Some examples of labor violations embody stopping or limiting using paid sick depart, withholding pay or underpaying, or denying employee breaks.
If a enterprise has been discovered to violate labor or wage legal guidelines, both by the state Division of Labor and Industries or by Seattle’s Workplace of Labor Requirements, King County Public Well being might be notified, prompting extra well being inspections.
Board member Jorge Baron mentioned these violations may heighten different dangers that have an effect on meals security and buyer well being.
“They need to be inspected once more to verify there’s no additional violations of different issues as a result of already there was a discovering of violations of different guidelines,” Baron mentioned.
Between July 2020 and June 2024, the state Division of Labor and Industries despatched roughly 15 citations per yr to collections, in keeping with King County evaluation. Since Seattle’s Workplace of Labor Requirements began investigating labor and wage complaints in 2016, the company has had 12 circumstances involving meals companies which have did not pay as ordered.
Two California counties have comparable enforcement measures.
Jeff Gunn with the Washington Hospitality Affiliation says the brand new rule is pointless.
“We consider this coverage shifts the well being division’s focus away from its core mission — defending public well being — and will unintentionally have an effect on public belief,” Gunn mentioned.
The brand new rule takes impact subsequent August.
