In the weeks ahead of Seattle City Council’s hotly contested elections, Amazon has injected more than $1 million in cash into the pro-business political organization seeking to reshape the Council. That brings Amazon’s total contributions to the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce’s political...

The Seattle City Council, which often prides itself as a defender of workers’ rights amid one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., might look totally different after Nov. 5 general elections. All seven of the Council’s district seats are on the ballot but only three incumbents are runni...

As the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in three landmark cases that will shape how federal law treats LGBTQ employees, it’s a good time to ask how the justices' decision might affect Washington state protections for gay and transgender people in the workplace. The short answer is it won't: ...

Washington state’s impending voter ballot on affirmative action has given hope to marginalized business owners who’ve seen public contracting work dry up since affirmative action was banned in the state in 1998. Passed earlier this year, the new affirmative-action law, Initiative 1000, seeks ...

A long delayed update to America's overtime pay system has finally passed in Washington D.C., and the changes could usher in far more generous overtime benefits to Washington state workers starting next year. The U.S. Labor Department finalized a new rule last week to expand overtime pay to 1.3 m...

Washington State's recent restrictions on non-compete contracts won’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2020, but employees potentially affected by the changes should start learning about their new rights. Signed by Gov. Jay Inslee in May, the “Non-Compete Act” offers new flexibility and prote...

Seattle is home to one of the fastest-growing hotel markets in the U.S., fueled by the ongoing tech boom centered in South Lake Union and massive developments including the expanded Washington State Convention Center and revamp of the Seattle Waterfront. The new growth is expected to attract recor...

“American Factory,” an important new Netflix documentary that spotlights the looming struggle workers face in the age of automation, has extra meaning in states like Washington, where some of the biggest companies in the world are going to great lengths to make operations ever more efficient.�...

The landmark reforms of California’s gig economy that ruffled the feathers of Uber, Lyft and other app-based companies last week has emboldened lawmakers in Washington and other states to enact similar worker protection laws. “It’s not just a bright idea from left field,” Washington State...

Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear of some prominent celebrity or public figure being brought down by accusations of sexual harassment. In the #MeToo era, it can be easy to forget that just a few short years ago there was considerably less attention to the issue -- a marker of how quickly socia...