New placards are coming to King County food businesses to warn about labor violations

You know those placards that show a restaurant’s food safety rating? There will soon be new signs next to them saying whether a business has unresolved wage violations.

The King County Board of Health approved new rules adding the placard, and allowing additional inspections of businesses that are dinged for unpaid wages or other labor violations.

"We think in this moment where we see weakening standards at the federal level, having greater coordination amongst entities between jurisdictions is the right thing to do," said Board chair Teresa Mosqueda, who sponsored the amendment.

Some examples of labor violations include preventing or limiting the use of paid sick leave, withholding pay or underpaying, or denying worker breaks.

If a business has been found to violate labor or wage laws, either by the state Department of Labor and Industries or by Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards, King County Public Health will be notified, prompting additional health inspections.

The inspector will also place another placard indicating the establishment has been found to violate labor laws. This placard can be removed immediately if the business resolves the violation.

Board member Jorge Baron said those violations could heighten other risks that affect food safety and customer health.

“They should be inspected again to make sure there’s no further violations of other things because already there was a finding of violations of other rules,” Baron said.

The county expects these increased inspections will be rare — around 15 to 20 times a year — because most food establishments remedy issues on their own.

Between July 2020 and June 2024, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries sent approximately 15 citations statewide per year to collections, according to King County's analysis. Since Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards started investigating labor and wage complaints in 2016, the agency has had 12 cases involving food businesses that have failed to pay as ordered.

Two California counties have similar enforcement measures.

Jeff Gunn with the Washington Hospitality Association says the new rule is unnecessary.

"We believe this policy shifts the health department’s focus away from its core mission — protecting public health — and may unintentionally affect public trust," Gunn said.

The new rule takes effect next August.