News & Analysis as of

State Labor Laws Washington

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Washington Expands Employee Access to Personnel Files

Washington law provides employees with the right to inspect their personnel file annually upon request.  In April, the Washington legislature amended the personnel file access requirements.  The updated law is effective July...more

Perkins Coie

Washington State Passes Law Broadening Pregnancy-Related Accommodations

Perkins Coie on

Key Takeaways - - A new law in Washington requires all employers, regardless of their size, to have pregnancy and postpartum accommodations in place for their employees by 2027. - The required accommodations include paid...more

Littler

Washington State Passes (Yet Another) Paid Family and Medical Leave Amendment, and It’s a Big One

Littler on

Washington employers take note: Significant changes to the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WA PFML) law are on the horizon that will impact every employer in the Evergreen State. The bill amending the law, HB 1213,...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

You’ve Been WARNed: Washington Enacts a mini-WARN Law

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The new law applies to employers with 50+ employees (excluding part-time workers) and mirrors many federal WARN Act provisions, with some notable distinctions....more

Littler

State and Local Updates Affect What Employers May (and May Not) Require from Job Applicants in Washington State

Littler on

It’s the season for legislative updates – and Washington State lawmakers are no exception. Job postings have recently been an area of focus in state and local laws. Two recent updates in Washington State impose new...more

Littler

Washington State Enacts New Legislation to Define Employee Access to Their Personnel Records and Termination Information

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As many Washington employers are acutely aware, there exists sparse statutory guidance on how employers must respond to personnel file requests by their employees – and no statutory definition of what constitutes a “personnel...more

Miles & Stockbridge P.C.

WARN is Coming to Washington State: What Employers Need to Know

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 13 signed the Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act into law. Effective July 27, this statute mirrors the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Washington Amends EPOA, Bringing More Balance to Employer Job Posting Obligations

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On May 20, 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson signed Substitute Senate Bill 5408 (SSB 5408), enacting important amendments to the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA). The EPOA has been a hot topic in Washington after...more

Tonkon Torp LLP

The Amended Fair Chance Act Is Changing Background Check Requirements for Washington Employers

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Washington employers will soon be subject to new, more burdensome rules under recent amendments to the Washington Fair Chance Act. Passed this legislative session, HB 1747 goes into effect on July 1, 2026 for employers with...more

Fisher Phillips

Washington Lawmakers Cut Employers a Break for Job Posting Noncompliance: 7 Things You Should Do

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Washington employers will soon get some relief from the state’s strict job posting requirements after lawmakers unanimously passed a law to mitigate some of the more onerous parts of the key state statute. Starting July 27,...more

Morgan Lewis

Washington State Clarifies Its Pay Transparency Law

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The Equal Pay and Opportunity Act requires employers hiring in Washington state to publish in job postings a wage scale or salary range and a general description of benefits to be offered to hired applicants. The Washington...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Washington State May Ease Pay Transparency Rules

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Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is considering a bill that would amend the state’s wage disclosure requirements in the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) and implement major changes regarding potential liability for...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Washington’s Fair Chance Act: New Amendments Transform Employer Background Check Policies

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In 2018, Washington enacted a Fair Chance Act, requiring covered employers to wait until after considering an applicant to be “otherwise qualified” for the position at issue to inquire about or consider criminal history when...more

Buchalter

Class Action Alert: “Conflict of Interest” Policies Are the Newest Trend for Class Action Lawsuits Against Employers in Washington...

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Following a recent Washington Supreme Court decision, plaintiffs’ attorneys in Washington are targeting a new type of class action claim against employers: alleged violations of Washington’s noncompetition statute based on...more

Littler

Washington Expands Covered Uses of Paid Sick Leave to Include Immigration Proceedings

Littler on

On April 25, 2025, Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1875 into law. The amendment will become effective July 27, 2025. The new law amends Revised Code of Washington § 49.46.210 to expand the reasons for...more

Tonkon Torp LLP

Washington Poised to Update Personnel File Production Requirements

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This week, the Washington Legislature passed HB 1308, a bill that, if signed into law, will change Washington employer’s responsibilities for personnel file requests. While not yet in effect, the governor will likely sign the...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Washington State Makes Key Changes to Amend Equal Pay and Opportunities Act

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...more

Littler

Washington’s Amended Fair Chance Act Will Impose Additional Obligations on Covered Employers

Littler on

Washington State has an existing fair chance law (discussed here) but the statute, as amended by HB 1747, will impose additional obligations on employers that consider criminal records when vetting job applicants or...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Washington Amends Employee Personnel File Access Laws

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The Washington Legislature has passed a new law affecting employers’ obligations related to employee personnel files.  The new law amends RCW 49.12.240 and 49.12.250 in four important ways...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Washington Legislature Approves Prospective Notice and Cure Period for Wage Transparency Claims

Washington's Legislature finally took steps to help employers and mitigate against the unanticipated and harsh effects of Washington's job posting requirements that went into effect in January 2023. Late Tuesday night, the...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Waiver Goodbye – Continued FMCSA Preemption Of Meal And Rest Periods For California and Washington Drivers

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In 2023, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) under the Biden administration started accepting public comments about the many petitions for waiver that key stakeholders, including the California Attorney...more

Miller Nash LLP

Washington State Proposes Full Ban on Non-Competes—Here’s What You Need to Know

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With the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed nationwide ban on noncompetes seemingly dead, states continue to march forward with their own regulation of such agreements. Washington’s current law bans noncompetes for employees...more

Perkins Coie

Washington Supreme Court Denies Appeal of Meal Period Penalty Case

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In October 2024 we wrote about the Washington State Court of Appeals’ opinion in Androckitis v. Virginia Mason Medical Center, which held that the remedy for meal period violations includes three components: (1) payment of...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

The Fate of Hundreds Of EPOA Class Actions Await The Washington Supreme Court’s Decision in Branson v. Washington

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The Washington Supreme Court recently entertained oral arguments in Branson v. Washington Fine Wines on the following certified question from the W.D. Washington regarding the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (“EPOA”)...more

Fisher Phillips

Washington Supreme Court Significantly Limits Moonlighting Restrictions for Low Wage Employees: Your 4-Step Plan for Compliance

Fisher Phillips on

In a first-of-its-kind decision, the Washington Supreme Court took aim at the ability of employers to prevent low wage employees in the state from “moonlighting” or otherwise supplementing their income during their...more

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