Resolved Investigations
From the Labor Standards Case Files
Every quarter, the Office of Labor Standards (OLS) posts a Interactive Dashboards of investigations and their results, along with the numbers of inquiries we respond to from workers and employers about Seattle's labor standards.
We're proud of our statistics, but they only tell part of the story. Each and every investigation represents the lived experience of workers and employers, as well as the efforts of our dedicated investigators to enforce Seattle's Labor Standards laws. Here are summaries of just some of our closed investigations, beginning with our most recent cases, and going back to June 2016.
At the start of an investigation, OLS investigators gather evidence to determine if an employer is following the City of Seattle's labor standards. If our investigation shows that an employer is not in compliance, our remedies (included in either a settlement agreement or Director's Order) ensure that the employer complies completely with the ordinances, employees are made whole, and the employer learns about its legal obligations. You can learn more about our Investigative Process here.
July - September 2023
Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinance
OLS investigated DoorDash, Inc. for alleged violations of the Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinance. The food delivery network company operates worldwide and has thousands of gig workers in Seattle. OLS alleged the company failed to establish an accessible PSST system for some gig workers to request and use PSST, failed to timely compensate some gig workers for use of PSST, and failed to provide a monthly notice of PSST balance information to all its Seattle workforce over a period of two months. The company settled the allegations and agreed to pay a total financial remedy of $1,635,823.84 which included $500,064.13 to 648 workers, $8,629.62 in fines to the City of Seattle, and $1,127,130.06 in PSST credits to approximately 26,500 workers.
More July - September 2023 Stories
April - June 2023
Wage Theft Ordinance and the PSST Ordinance
OLS investigated Ridwell, Inc. for alleged violations of the Wage Theft Ordinance and the PSST Ordinance. The company provides a subscription-based recycling service to residents of Seattle, the Puget Sound region, and several other cities across the United States. OLS alleged Ridwell misclassified certain drivers as independent contractors when they were in fact employees and failed to provide those drivers with PSST, a written PSST policy, and required written notices of employment information. Ridwell settled the allegations and agreed to pay a total financial remedy of $25,940.86 to 141 drivers.
More April - June 2023 Stories
January - March 2023
Wage Theft, Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST), Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury, and Hotel Employees Safety Protections Ordinances
OLS investigated Northgate Inns Inc. dba Hotel Nexus and its owners for alleged violations of the Wage Theft, Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST), Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury, and Hotel Employees Safety Protections Ordinances. Hotel Nexus is a hotel in Seattle with approximately 50-100 employees. It is part of 360 Degree Hotel Group that owns and operates 6 hotels in the Puget Sound region. Under the Wage Theft Ordinance, OLS alleged Hotel Nexus failed to pay employees for vacation balances upon separation, despite its written policy to do so; did not always permit employees to take compliant meal breaks; and occasionally modified employee timeclock records without explanation, resulting in fewer hours paid to employees than initially reflected in the employee’s timeclock punches. Under the PSST Ordinance, OLS alleged Hotel Nexus did not have a sufficient written policy regarding PSST and failed to pay one employee when the employee requested to use PSST. Under the Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury Ordinance, OLS alleged Hotel Nexus was not correctly calculating payments for cleanings beyond the maximum floor space for a period of time, and Hotel Nexus failed to obtain consent to clean beyond the maximum floor space when the ordinance first went into effect. Finally, under the Hotel Employee Safety Protections Ordinance, OLS alleged Hotel Nexus did not have a written policy against violent or harassing conduct by guests. Hotel Nexus and its owners settled the allegations and agreed to pay a total financial remedy of $218,194.75 to 154 affected workers in back wages, interest, liquidated damages, civil penalties, and fines, and $535 to the City of Seattle in fines. Additionally, they agreed to attend a management training regarding Seattle’s labor standards and, during the investigation, updated their PSST policy, written policy against violent or harassing conduct by guests, policy for receiving employee consent to clean beyond the maximum floor space, policy and procedure regarding meal breaks, and method of calculations for payments for cleanings beyond the maximum floor space.
More January - March 2023 Stories
October - December 2022
Secure Scheduling and Wage Theft Ordinance
OLS investigated Red Robin International, Inc. (Red Robin) for alleged violations of the Secure Scheduling and Wage Theft Ordinances at its Northgate restaurant location. Red Robin has more than 500 employees and 500 locations worldwide and operates 2 Seattle locations. OLS alleged the restaurant failed to post work schedules at least 14 days in advance, pay employees for employer-initiated schedule changes, and provide required rest and meal breaks. Red Robin settled the allegations and agreed to pay a total financial remedy of $401,986.68 to 343 employees and $250.32 to the City of Seattle. Red Robin also agreed develop and implement a written Secure Scheduling policy and implement meal and rest break policies.
More October - December 2022 Stories
July - September 2022
Hotel Employees Safety Protections Ordinance, Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury Ordinance, Improving Access to Medical Care for Hotel Employees Ordinance, and Minimum Wage Ordinance
OLS investigated SBCO DCIC (Seattle) Operating Company, LLC dba Residence Inn Seattle Downtown (Residence Inn) and Go America Inc. Staffing Service (Go America) for alleged violations of the Hotel Employees Safety Protections Ordinance, Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury Ordinance, Improving Access to Medical Care for Hotel Employees Ordinance, and Minimum Wage Ordinance. The businesses employ from 25 to 75 people in Seattle, and many more worldwide. OLS alleged the health insurance Residence Inn provided to some employees did not meet the required healthcare expenditure levels and the business did not provide other forms of healthcare expenditures to meet requirements. Additionally, OLS alleged the business failed to provide health insurance or other forms of healthcare expenditures at all to other employees. OLS alleged Go America provided no healthcare expenditures to workers and did not always pay employees the Seattle minimum wage. OLS also alleged both employers lacked a written policy against violent or harassing conduct by guests, did not post required notices in Spanish – a primary language of their employees, failed to obtain employee consent before requiring cleanings beyond the maximum permitted floor space, and failed to issue premium pay for cleanings beyond maximum floor space. The employers agreed to pay a total financial remedy of $370,439.04 to 67 workers and $2,500 to the City of Seattle. They further agreed to attend management and payroll staff training by OLS, host worker trainings conducted by the Fair Work Center in English and Spanish, and to develop and implement lawful policies for receiving employee consent to clean beyond maximum square footage limits and against violent and harassing conduct by guests.
More July - September 2022 Stories
April - June 2022
Transportation Network Company (TNC) Minimum Compensation Ordinance
Uber, a large transportation network company that connects customers and gig workers with passenger delivery services, and that has over 15,000 Seattle workers, agreed to an informal resolution of allegations under the Transportation Network Company (TNC) Minimum Compensation Ordinance. After an OLS inquiry into the company’s unauthorized garnishment of a driver’s pay, Uber agreed to make a total settlement payment of $2,666.63 for back pay, interest, liquidated damages, and civil penalties to the affected driver.More April - June 2022 Stories
October - December 2021
Minimum Wage, Paid Sick and Safe Time, and Wage Theft Ordinances
Lakshmi Enterprises Washington, Inc. dba Bauhaus Strong Coffee, a coffee shop with one Seattle location and approximately 20 employees worldwide, settled allegations under the Minimum Wage, Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST), and Wage Theft Ordinances. OLS alleged the employer terminated an employee in retaliation for raising concerns about underpayment, failed to pay the correct minimum wage or overtime rate, failed to provide employees with PSST or meal breaks, and failed to provide itemized pay statements and notices of employment information. The total financial remedy was $111,710.57, which included $111,014.93 to 38 Seattle employees and $695.64 to 1 Seattle employee.
July- September 2021
Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance
OLS reached a settlement with Postmates, a large food delivery network company with over 1,600 Seattle workers, for a total of $972,075.89 after alleging the company failed to comply with any aspect of the Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) for Gig Workers Ordinance through 2020. OLS began an investigation last fall after numerous workers complained Postmates failed to provide workers with paid sick and safe time, failed to provide workers with notice of the company’s PSST policy, and failed to provide workers with notice of their PSST balance. After OLS initiated its investigation of Postmates, Postmates was acquired by Uber Technologies, Inc. (“Uber”) in December 2020. The total financial remedy was $972,075.89 which included $949,815.49 in back wages, interest, liquidated damages, fines, and civil penalties to 1,646 gig workers and $22,260.40 in additional fines to the City of Seattle.
April- June 2021
Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance
In OLS’ largest settlement agreement to date, Uber, a large transportation network company and food delivery network company with over 15,000 Seattle workers, settled allegations under the Gig Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance for over $3.4 million. After workers complained and OLS began an investigation, Uber conducted several audits and discovered that largely due to technical software glitches: 1) some gig workers were not able to access their PSST accounts due to technical issues with links on the app; 2) some workers’ PSST balances reflected more or fewer PSST days than were actually accrued; 3) some workers had their PSST requests inadvertently cancelled; and 4) some workers were required to wait until the calendar day following their PSST request before using it. The remedy included $1,278,810.30 to resolve claims for back wages, interest, liquidated damages, and civil penalties for 2,329 affected workers and $2,171,372.82 in advance payment of unused PSST to 15,084 workers. The total financial remedy was $3,450,183.12 to 15,717 affected workers and $11,130.20 in fines to the City of Seattle.
January - March 2021
Paid Sick and Safe Time, Minimum Wage and Wage Theft
Patty’s Eggnest Restaurant, OLS issued a determination of a violation against Patty’s Eggnest Restaurant (collectively, “Patty’s Eggnest”) for violations under the Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST), Wage Theft, and Minimum Wage ordinances. OLS found Patty’s Eggnest, which operates one location in Seattle, failed to pay employees promised wages, failed to pay employees overtime, failed to pay employees the minimum wage, an failed to provide employees with PSST. The total financial remedy was $83,357.28, which included $69,900.38 to 24 affected employees and $13,456.89 to the City of Seattle.
More January - March 2021 Stories
October - December 2020
Paid Sick and Safe Time, Minimum Wage, Wage Theft and Secure Scheduling
Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot, OLS issued a determination of a violation against Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot and several other individuals acting as employers (collectively, “Little Sheep”) under the Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST), Minimum Wage, Wage Theft, and Secure Scheduling Ordinances. OLS found that Little Sheep was a franchise subject to the Schedule 1 minimum wage; that Little Sheep failed to pay employees the minimum wage; that Little Sheep failed to provide employees with Paid Sick and Safe Time; that Little Sheep failed to pay employees overtime wages or provide sufficient meal and rest breaks; and that Little Sheep failed to provide employees with 14 days’ advance notice of work schedules, among other violations. The total financial remedy was $3,490,581.71 to 147 affected former employees, OLS’ largest financial remedy assessed to date.
July - September 2020
Secure Scheduling
Fred Meyer, a large hypermarket superstore that operates three Seattle locations and employs approximately 750 Seattle employees and thousands of employees worldwide, settled allegations under the Secure Scheduling Ordinance. OLS alleged, among other things, that Fred Meyer failed to pay premium pay for work schedule changes. The total financial remedy was $616,437.63, which included $614,253.35 to 893 affected employees and $2,184.28 to the City of Seattle.
April - June 2020
Minimum Wage (MW) and Wage Theft (WT)
OLS determined Professional Transportation Inc. ("PTI"), a large employer with branch offices across the US and in Washington that provides transportation services to large companies in the railroad, mining, and energy industries, violated the Minimum Wage (MW) and Wage Theft (WT) ordinances. OLS found PTI failed to pay some drivers who were based outside of Seattle, the minimum wage for time spent driving in Seattle. The total financial remedy was $183,198.27, which includes $79,780.72 to 160 affected employees and $103,417.55 to the City of Seattle.
January - March 2020
Fair Chance Employment (FCE)
South West Plumbing, a plumbing company with over 100 plumbers and technicians that serve the King, Snohomish, and Pierce county area, settled allegations under the Fair Chance Employment (FCE) ordinance. OLS alleged the company had a job application that required applicants to disclose criminal history. The total financial remedy was $533 to the applicant.
October - December 2019
Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST)
Blackstone Seattle LLC dba Quality Inn & Suites Seattle Center; The Victus Group, Inc. dba Blackstone Hospitality Group, Quality Inn & Suites Seattle City Center (“Quality Inn”), which operates a hotel franchise location with 30 employees in Seattle, settled allegations under the Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinance. OLS alleged the company did not provide notification of PSST balances during part of 2016 and had an unlawful cap on PSST accrual through mid-2018. The total financial remedy was $10,875 which includes $10,375 to 58 affected employees and $500 to the City of Seattle.
July - September 2019
Minimum Wage and Wage Theft
FPR-II, LLC dba;Leadpoint,Leadpoint;Business Services ("Leadpoint"), a company that provides staffing for two waste recycling facilities in Seattle, settled allegations under the Wage Theft and Minimum Wage ordinances. OLS alleged that Leadpoint failed to pay the correct minimum wage for a large employer. In settlement,Leadpoint agreed to pay a total financial remedy of $686,202.67 to 358 affected current and former workers - the largest financial remedy OLS has achieved in a single investigation to date.
April - June 2019
Secured Scheduling
Qdoba Restaurant Corporation dba Qdoba Eats 2479, Qdoba Mexican Eats 2588, Qdoba Mexican Eats 2956 ("Qdoba"), which operates three restaurant locations in Seattle and employs 47 Seattle employees, settled allegations under the Secure Scheduling ordinance. Specifically, OLS alleged that Qdoba was not paying premium pay for work schedule changes or back-to-back opening and closing shifts separated by less than ten hours. The total financial remedy was $96,647.35 to 99 affected employees.
January - March 2019
Secured Scheduling and Wage Theft
California Pizza Kitchen (“CPK”), a restaurant which employs approximately 50 employees at one Seattle location and over 12,000 employees at over 40 locations worldwide, agreed to settle with OLS for alleged violations of the Secure Scheduling and Wage Theft Ordinances. In settlement, CPK agreed to pay a total of $30,944.78 to 84 (past and current) employees for alleged violations relating to missed rest breaks and compensation for work schedule changes.
October - December 2018
Paid Sick and Safe Time and Wage Theft
Bill Speidel Enterprises, Inc. dba Underground Tours (“Underground Tours”), which operates one location in Seattle and employs approximately 60-70 employees who provide walking tours through Seattle’s underground, agreed to settle allegations under the Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) and Wage Theft Ordinances. The complete financial remedy was $986.36 to one worker for allegations related to meal and rest breaks and tips.
July - September 2018
Minimum Wage and Wage Theft
OLS issued a determination against Blessed Limousine, Inc., a transportation service company. OLS found that the company violated the Minimum Wage and Wage Theft ordinances for failing to pay one of its employees for all hours worked and by failing to provide written notices of employment information. Blessed Limousine had previously settled another investigation with almost identical allegations. OLS ordered payment of $1,162.80 in back wages, interest and liquidated damages, and $5,230 in civil penalties and fines.
April - June 2018
Minimum Wage and Wage Theft
On April 27, 2018, OLS issued a determination against Citizen, a café and bar in the lower Queen Anne neighborhood, for violations of the Minimum Wage (MW) and Wage Theft (WT) Ordinances. OLS found that Citizen paid employees $9.47 per hour (in violation of the minimum wage requirements) during the period between April 1, 2015 and March 11, 2016. OLS ordered Citizen to pay a total financial remedy of $4,296.26, to ten affected employees, and a $500.00 civil penalty to the City of Seattle. June 2018 update: Due to Citizen's failure to pay the ordered amounts, OLS transferred the case to the City Attorney for enforcement of the unpaid order and referred the matter to the City's Finance and Administrative Services for revocation of Citizen's business license.
January - April 2018
Wage Theft
OLS investigated Wataru Sushi, a Seattle restaurant, for allegedly withholding tips from employees. Because the owner and manager themselves worked in the restaurant, they thought they could share in their employees' tips. In fact, owners and managers are prohibited from entering into tip-pooling arrangements with their employees. In a settlement executed on January 2, 2018, Wataru agreed to pay back $101,824.91 in unpaid tips plus $12,723.57 in accrued interest to 35 employees. It also agreed to correct and update its tipping policy. Finally, the employer agreed to settle a retaliation claim of one employee (in the total amount of $12,363) who alleged that she had been fired because she questioned the tip-pooling practice.
More January - April 2018 StoriesApril - May 2017
Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST)
A painting company admitted that it had not provided PSST for Seattle work-hours. A Collective Bargaining Agreement waived PSST as of May 2016, but the employer still needed to remedy the violations that preceded the CBA. Over a nine-month period, the employer did not comply with OLS's multiple requests for information. To ensure workers were paid as soon as possible, OLS assessed high penalties but offered to reduce them if the employer paid all back wages and interest - a total of $6,712.25 - to employees within 10 days. The employer agreed, and OLS reduced the initial penalty assessment from $10,500 to $1,000 for willful interference. At the end of the investigation, the employer invited OLS's investigator to lead a training for his employees on their labor standards rights.
More April - May 2017 StoriesJanuary - March 2017
Fair Chance Employment
OLS investigated a cleaning company for including a categorical exclusion in a job ad, not hiring an applicant based on a conviction record without a legitimate business reason, and not providing the applicant with a reasonable opportunity to provide information regarding his criminal history. After the employer indicated it wanted to settle the matter, OLS crafted settlement language to include payment of a $500 penalty to the complainant and ample compliance monitoring.
More January - March 2017 StoriesSeptember - December 2016
Wage Theft
After a worker alleged that a communications tech company did not pay him a commission for his last month of work, the employer submitted the employment contract signed by the complainant that explicitly stated that the employer reserved the right to adjust commission rates when the profit margins were substantially different than average sales. While the contract demonstrated that no violation had occurred, OLS's intake investigator negotiated a settlement agreement in which the employer agreed to pay the complainant $2,000 to settle the matter.
More September- December 2016 StoriesJune - August 2016
Intake Negotiations
Sometimes the Labor Standards intake office resolves situations at the front end, without advancing them to a full investigation. OLS settled three cases at the intake stage in July 2016, including two employers' requirements that employees provide notes from medical providers after using just 1 day of PSST (instead of the more than 3 consecutive days mandated by the law), and an employer's failure to permit accrual of PSST for the first 180 days of employment. Negotiations resulted in back-accrual, amended policies and payment to employees for unnecessary co-pays.
More June - August 2016 Stories