Rivas Painting dinged for violating paid leave law

‘Hurting these workers hurts all of us in the Seattle community by lowering area standards we have fought so hard to protect’

SEATTLE, WA (September 29, 2025) — Rivas Painting Inc settled charges of violating Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinance last week, agreeing to pay thousands to impacted workers whose rights the company had violated.

The city’s Office of Labor Standards (OLS) investigated Rivas for failing to provide employees with a written PSST policy or notice of PSST accrual, properly track employee accrual of PSST, and allow employees to use the paid time off that they had earned. Rather than fight that claim, Rivas chose to settle with the city and pay the 43 impacted workers $112,734.05.

Photo: IUPAT DC5

As previously reported in The STAND, Rivas recently fired workers after they organized to join IUPAT. Per the union, the developer on the project workers were on, Westbank Corp, told workers: “you can come back once you stop this union bullshit.” IUPAT DC 5 also reports that Rivas has been fined by the Department of Labor for wage theft, demonstrating a pattern of mistreating workers, many of whom are immigrants.

While the workers continue to fight to right that wrong, they’re celebrating this victory.

“One should never be afraid of doing what is right,” said a Rivas worker in a statement. “Unfortunately, situations like this happen in many workplaces on a daily basis, and it is crucial that they occur less and less, with the law being upheld and respected at all times. Let this be a reminder that standing up for what is fair not only protects our rights, but also helps pave the way for a better and more just workplace for everyone.”

For the union, this settlement is significant both as a remedy for impacted workers and for putting employers on notice that there are consequences for violating labor laws.

“The DC5 Organizing Department is dedicated to holding contractors accountable for their actions that deliberately add to an insatiable underground economy,” said IUPAT DC5 Director of Organizing Savannah Palmira. “Hurting these workers hurts all of us in the Seattle community by lowering area standards we have fought so hard to protect. We are grateful to the Seattle Office of Labor Standards for their work and very proud of the courageous workers for coming forward.”

Support workers unjustly fired by Rivas by signing their petition.