Session Title: Washington Wage and Hour Pitfalls: Avoiding Rest and Meal Break Violations in a New Era of Class Actions
🗓️ October 30, 2025 🕒 8:30AM (PT)
📍 Virtual Meeting | Free Event!
🎓 HR Credit: 1 PDC
Please Note: The meeting link will be sent directly to the email you register with prior to the event.
Session Details:
Wage and hour compliance continues to be one of the most challenging and costly areas for Washington State employers. Recently, the state has seen a sharp increase in class action lawsuits centered on rest and meal break violations, missed premium pay, and improper recordkeeping.
In this timely and practical session, we’ll unpack the latest developments in Washington wage and hour law, highlight emerging enforcement trends, and discuss proactive strategies to reduce employer risk. Attendees will gain insights into how courts and the Department of Labor & Industries are interpreting break requirements, common employer missteps leading to litigation, and best practices for policy updates, training, and documentation.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand Washington’s rest and meal period requirements and what recent cases reveal about enforcement trends.
- Learn how small compliance gaps can evolve into costly class action claims.
- Identify practical steps to audit and update timekeeping and scheduling systems.
- Explore employer defenses and documentation strategies to mitigate exposure.
- Gain clarity on what HR professionals can do to foster compliance and prevent disputes before they arise.
Who Should Attend:
HR professionals, managers, business owners, and anyone responsible for wage and hour compliance in Washington State.
About the Speaker:
Joshua Brittingham is a seasoned labor and employment attorney known for his conscientious, compelling, and compassionate approach. He represents and counsels management clients in all types of labor and employment matters arising under federal and state law.
He helps private and public employers reduce legal exposure by implementing effective personnel policies and practices and represents high-level executives in employment matters.
His wide-ranging practice includes drafting and enforcing employment, confidentiality, and non-competition agreements, as well as defending claims of wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment, and wage-and-hour issues in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. He is also experienced in defending employers in class action lawsuits involving wage-and-hour claims and other high-exposure matters. In addition, he advises on labor relations matters, including collective bargaining, arbitrations, union organizational campaigns, and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board.
Joshua is a gifted speaker who frequently delivers keynote addresses. He provides training to employer clients on a wide range of employment law topics, including management best practices and strategies for responding to union organizing campaigns.
Before joining Carney Badey Spellman, Joshua spent nearly a decade litigating commercial matters (including contract breaches, tortious interference claims, and business ownership disputes), real estate matters (such as lease, easement, and boundary disputes), and employment matters. He has also formed companies, advised clients on real estate transactions, and drafted purchase and sale agreements, leases, easements, and other contracts. Drawing on his business background, as the son of two small business owners and as a former project manager and business analyst in the financial services industry, he brings a unique perspective to his practice. This combination of business and legal experience gives him valuable insight that he harnesses to help employers achieve practical, results-oriented outcomes. He takes pride in tackling labor and employment law challenges so his clients can thrive.