Articles Discussing Washington State Wage & Hour Laws.

On May 20, 2025, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson took the final step toward implementing House Bill (HB) 1213’s expansion of the state’s paid family and medical leave program when he greenlit funding for the program as part of the state appropriations budget for the 2025-2027 biennium. With this funding, the

Washington State has taken a significant step for employers under its pay transparency law by giving employers a five-business-day grace period to correct violations in job postings and limiting the damages plaintiffs can win, among other changes to the law. The requirement that Washington employers post wage and salary information,

Relief from Steep Pay Transparency Penalties for Businesses in Washington State

In welcome news for the business community and a shining example of bipartisan cooperation, the Washington State Legislature has almost unanimously passed an amendment to its pay transparency law that led to hundreds of class action lawsuits. Numerous employers

On April 22, 2025, the Washington State Senate passed Substitute Senate Bill 5408, as amended by the House on April 15, 2025 (“Amended SSB 5408”), making substantial changes to the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act related to pay and benefit information in job postings, a law that has resulted in

Washington expanded the covered uses and definition of a family member under Washington’s paid sick leave law effective January 1, 2025.

Under Washington’s paid sick leave law employers must provide non-exempt employees with at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours the employee works. Leave accrual

The Washington Employment Security Department has announced the Paid Family and Medical Leave 2025 premium rates and weekly benefit maximums.

Beginning on January 1, 2025, the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave Program’s total premium rate will increase to 0.92% from 0.74%. This rate is recalculated annually in October, based

An appellate court in Washington state recently held a hospital liable to pay employees who worked through meal period breaks for their time worked plus compensation for an additional break as a penalty, highlighting Washington employers’ obligations to ensure employees take breaks from work during their meal and rest periods.

The first quarter of 2024 has brought multiple updates to the State of Washington’s and the City of Seattle’s respective paid sick leave laws, addressing concerns for commercial construction workers, app-based gig economy workers, and any workers subject to a paid time off (PTO) program. Employers may want to take

Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum wage rate in Washington State will increase to $16.28 per hour for employees sixteen years of age and older, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries announced on September 29, 2023.

Employers in Washington are facing a flurry of class actions alleging violations of the state’s new pay transparency law. While it is too early to gauge the viability of the claims, employers doing business in Washington may want to be on alert and may want to review job postings in

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) released a draft administrative policy regarding tips, gratuities, and service charge requirements for employers. 

Beginning on January 1, 2023, the Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave Program’s “total premium” rate rose to 0.8% from 0.6%.  This rate is recalculated annually in October, based on contributions from premiums and benefits paid during the previous year. 

As was true in previous years, employers must report to

Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (LNI) released the final version of its Administrative Policy on the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act to guide employers on the new pay transparency requirements that became effective January 1, 2023.

This policy gives insight into how LNI will interpret, apply, and enforce the

Washington State’s Employment Security Department recently released a draft administrative policy with updated guidance on the modified pay transparency requirements beginning January 1, 2023. This draft policy aims to clarify issues raised by stakeholders in the feedback process for the development of the final administrative policy. The draft policy gives

The 2023 minimum wage rate in Washington State will increase to $15.74 per hour for employees sixteen years of age and older, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries announced on September 30, 2022.