Compliance Stuff

Washington lawmakers were busy this year, and a wave of new laws will have a major impact on the workplace. Employers must be aware of significant workplace laws taking effect within the next year, including 11 new laws that kicked in this month. Nearly all add more compliance requirements to your plate, and the changes even ramp up the penalties for failures to comply. Here’s a quick guide to help you keep track of it all and prepare for the changes. 11 New Washington Workplace Laws Taking Effect in July 2025 Effective July 1, 2025 Major Expansion of the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act ( HB 1905 - 2024 ).  Washington’s pay transparency law adds age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, and honorably discharged veteran or military status. It also includes the presence of sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability to the gen...

At a Glance The Policy Week in Review, prepared by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), sets forth WPI’s updates on federal, state, and local matters. NLRB Acting General Cowen Issues Guidance on Union Salts  In a  memorandum  dated July 24, 2025, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Acting General Counsel William Cowen issued guidance to all regional directors, officers-in-charge, and resident officers for investigating salting cases. The memorandum defines salting as “the act of a trade union in sending a union member or members to an unorganized jobsite to obtain employment and then organize the employees.” When determining whether an applicant for employment in a salting case is entitled to protection under the National Labor Relations Act, the memorandum instructs the Regions take a number of detailed actions when investigating the legitimacy of claims, including, “asking whether the applicant recently refused similar employment with the employer; engaged in...

After several months without a functioning quorum, President Trump nominated James Murphy and Scott Mayer to fill vacant seats on the National Labor Relations Board late last week, signaling the potential for a significant course correction of the nation’s labor law landscape. Once confirmed as expected, these nominees could quickly reshape things for employers across the country, especially as many continue to grapple with aggressive union activity, a backlog of Board decisions, and sweeping changes to precedent issued under the prior administration. With the pendulum poised to swing back, employers should start preparing now for what could be a more management-friendly Board. Here is a quick recap and a list of the five most significant cases you should keep your eye on. Trump's Picks and a Path Back to Quorum On July 17, President Trump announced the nominations of two new Board members to fill two of the vacant seats on the NLRB: Scott Mayer, chief labor counsel at a global aer...

Earlier this month, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas approved a  consent judgment  vacating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Medical Debt Rule. T he decision holds that the CFPB exceeded its authority under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) when enacting the Rule . This development has significant implications for healthcare providers and other entities involved in the reporting and use of medical debt information. Background: The Medical Debt Rule and FCRA The FCRA, permits Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) to report medical debt information—provided it is coded to protect patient privacy—i.e., it does not disclose the patient’s health condition or procedure.   Continuing with its efforts to  prioritize  medical debt rulemaking, the CFPB’s Medical Debt Rule, finalized in January 2025, sought to prohibit CRAs from including any medical debt information in con...

In a significant development for employers across the Empire State, the New York Legislature passed Assembly Bill A584B/S4070B in the final days of the 2025 session. This bill is known as the “Trapped at Work Act” and would prohibit the use of promissory notes that require workers to repay amounts to employers if they leave their jobs before a specified period. The bill, which has passed both the State Senate and Assembly, awaits delivery to Governor Hochul for action—which can happen at any time before the end of 2025.  The Trapped at Work Act would amend the New York Labor Law by adding a new Article 37, which would prohibit employers from requiring employees to sign an “employment promissory note”—agreements that require employees to repay to their employers a sum of money if they leave their employment within a specified period of time, with particular emphasis on a repayment framed as a reimbursement for training. The bill deems such agreements “unconscionable, against public...