Human Resource Blog

JSIA in Washington

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What does the JSIA have to do with our company in Washington?

The Jury Systems Improvement Act is a federal Act that is in place for employers across the country, including in states such as Washington. When an employee is called to serve on a jury, the employer should not discriminate against the employee for reasons that are based on that jury duty service, according to the Act.

Employees that have been summoned for jury duty service should notify the employer immediately of the upcoming jury duty service. The employer should not discriminate against the employee for the service and the employer should not terminate the employee for the service. Furthermore, employers are prohibited from coercing or attempting to coerce employees to postpone the jury duty service.

If an employer is found to be guilty of discriminating against an employee for serving on a jury, the employer could be fined up to $1,000 per instance, per employee. The employer might also have to pay the employee for lost wages and benefits if the employee is guilty of having terminated the employee.

There are some situations in which an employee might be able to postpone jury duty service for their own reasons. For example, if an employee has an illness or a planned vacation, the employee may be able to postpone the service. However, these reasons must have nothing to do with coercion from the employer.

Employees should continue to receive benefits during the jury duty service period. For example, if an employee had been receiving health care benefits, he or she should continue to receive them while serving. Also, the employee should be able to return to work at the end of the period of service to have the same job or an equivalent job as the one that he or she left.

Employees can provide proof of the jury duty service by showing the employer a copy of the summons or by obtaining verification of service from the clerk of the court. CB