Spokane workers receive Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits under RCW 49.86, plus city-mandated earned sick leave under SMC Chapter 1.06 since 2016. Both layer onto state Paid Sick Leave under RCW 49.46.210.
Spokane employees benefit from three overlapping leave programs. Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave under RCW 49.86, funded by joint employer-employee payroll contributions, provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave for bonding, serious health conditions, or family caregiving with wage replacement up to a state cap. State paid sick leave under RCW 49.46.210 accrues at one hour per 40 worked. Additionally Spokane's Earned Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance, SMC Chapter 1.06 enacted in 2016, applies to Spokane employers; though largely superseded by the 2018 statewide sick leave law, the city ordinance remains on the books. Employers post required notices in workplaces.
PFML violations are enforced by the Washington Employment Security Department; sick leave violations can trigger L&I investigations with back pay, double damages, and civil penalties.
See how Spokane's paid leave preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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