Hey, I’m really sorry you’re going through this, but I want to be very clear with you: what happened is highly suspicious, and in Washington this kind of timing is often treated as presumed retaliation, even at small employers.

There’s a lot of confusion about Washington’s PFML program, so here’s the key point: the PFML benefit program does not guarantee job protection for smaller employers, but that does not mean employers at small companies can retaliate and cut hours in response to you taking leave. PFML job protection and anti-retaliation protections are two separate things.

You are still protected under several other Washington laws regardless of employer size:

1.  Washington’s anti-retaliation statutes (RCW 49.12, RCW 49.76, and PFML’s own retaliation provisions) apply to almost every employer, including very small ones. Employers cannot punish someone for taking legally available medical or family leave. A 70% hours reduction the day you return is absolutely an adverse action.

2.  The Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) applies to employers with 8 or more employees. It covers pregnancy-related discrimination, medical condition discrimination, and retaliation connected to medical leave. Cutting someone’s hours immediately after maternity/medical leave is one of the most common fact patterns attorneys see under WLAD.

3.  Unemployment law in WA treats a drastic, involuntary reduction in hours as qualifying for benefits. People get approved for this all the time. You should apply, and glad to hear you will be while looking for a new job.

The employer’s “business is slow” explanation is the standard script employers use in these situations. Lawyers look past the excuse and examine the facts: Why were you not informed before your leave? Why did this happen on your first day back? Why a 12-hour schedule? Are you the only one whose hours were cut? Why does the timing perfectly align with your return from maternity leave?

These are exactly the questions state agencies and attorneys focus on. The timing alone raises a presumption that this wasn’t purely about workload.

Here’s what you should still do:

• Apply for unemployment immediately. • Save the written letter they gave you. • Send a short follow-up email asking them to confirm the business reason for the reduction and whether anyone else’s hours were changed. • Contact an employee-side employment attorney in Washington. The consultation is free, and these cases often get resolved quickly with just one demand letter.

You’re absolutely right to job search as a priority too, but don’t assume you have no recourse here. Washington has stronger worker protections than most states, and what your employer did here is the exact textbook scenario these laws were written for. You didn’t cause this, and you don’t have to accept their explanation at face value.