Legal Question in Employment Law in Washington

Re: travel wage

Interesting wage structure and interesting question; my first thought was that maybe they are trying to confuse you so much that you don't complain. I did some research on your questions and found that cases fall on both sides of the line. In one case, Brink's workers who were required to be at a pickup point to receive their work assignments were entitled to pay for travel time. However, in another case, prison workers who were required to take a particular ferry to the island where the prison was were not entitled to pay while on the ferry. What workers are entitled to seems to be quite fact specific. So what follows is an educated guess.

I don't think your employer can deduct an hour from your compensable travel time. They probably can pay it at a reduced rate, so long as it is above minimum wage and so long as you have notice when hired that they will do so. Under Washington law, your employer has to give you the 30 minute meal break (though it can be unpaid) if you work five hours or more. The legal problem for them is not that they don't pay you, but that sometimes they don't give you the break.

Other laws may also apply when you are in the other two states besides Washington.

I would recommend that you talk to the Dept. of Labor & Industries about your particular case. This is a lot cheaper than paying an attorney to do a more thorough study after getting more details from you. I am assuming there is no union in the picture, because if there were, terms of the contract would determine your rights also.

I hope this helps.