Washington State Minimum Wage Law Applies to Immigrant Detainees

A Washington minimum wage law applies to immigrant detainees doing work in the state for private prison operator GEO Group Inc., the Washington Supreme Court said.

Because the state’s law defines the term “employee” broadly, coverage is determined mostly via whether a person falls within one of its exceptions, the court said in its unanimous decision Thursday.

“When interpreting these exemptions, we are required to construe them narrowly and apply them only to situations that are ‘plainly and unmistakably consistent with the terms and spirit of the legislation,’” it said, quoting prior precedent.

In that respect, an exception for ...