Next Friday, October 13, Women Business Owners sponsors teh 25th Annual Nellie Cashman Award. "The Nellie" honors women business owners in the Puget Sound area who have demonstrated leadership in business and community. The finalists this year are: Rita Brogan of PRR, Lisa Dupar of Lisa Dupar Catering, Amy Haugerud of Rose Water Engineering, Leasa Mayer of CRG Events, and Jan Scott of Another Source. Please join Women Business Owners in honoring these women and presenting the 2006 Nellie Award. For more information, please visit www.womenbusinessowners.org.
One of the first complaints under the State's new gay-rights law which took effect in June was filed by a partner of a heterosexual, non-married couple who is challenging Honeywell's domestic-partner employee benefits program. Honeywell provides employee benefits to domestic partners in same-sex relationships but not non-married heterosexual relationships. The argument is based on the law that states companies cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation and providing benefits to same-sex unmarried couples and not to opposite-sex domestic partners results in discrimination. One argument against this interpretation is that heterosexual couples have the ability to marry which same-sex couples do not. Only 58% of companies that offer domestic partner benefits extend them to heterosexual, non-married partners. Locally, Starbucks is one of the few larger companies to offer employee benefits to opposite-sex domestic partners. If the complaint goes to court and the plaintiff prevails, most local companies including Boeing, Microsoft, and The Seattle Times would be required to modify their policies. Source: The Seattle Times.
The Department of Labor and Industries has proposed lowering the workers' compensation rate for the first time in six years. The 2% decrease in rates would result in slightly higher premiums paid by workers but would save employers about $31 million. The State will decide in late November whether to adopt the rate change. Also note that Washington is the only state where workers are required to apy a substantial protion of the workers' compensation insurance.
The Washington Small Business Fair (the "Biz Fair") will be held on September 9th at Renton Technical College. The program goes all day with seminars on in the areas of Business Planning, Marketing & Sales, Web/Internet, Finance, Regulatory, and Avoiding Trouble Spots (which includes a couple of legal seminars). This event draws over 500 business owners and also includes exhibitors representing government agencies, trade associations, and non-profit organizations.
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