In November 2016, Washington voters approved Initiative Measure No. 1433 (“IM 1433”) which provides for an incremental increase to the state minimum wage as of January 1, 2017 and also provides for paid sick leave benefits beginning January 1, 2018.  The stated intent behind IM 1443 is expressed in the initiative as follows:

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: …

It is the intent of the people to establish fair labor standards and protect the rights of workers by increasing the hourly minimum wage to $11.00 (2017), $11.50 (2018), $12.00 (2019) and $13.50 (2020), and requiring employers to provide employees with paid sick leave to care for the health of themselves and their families.

Read the rest of this article at http://blog.hrusa.com/blog/washington-raises-minimum-wage-and-provides-paid-sick-leave/.