Washington state has comprehensive labor protections including high minimum wages, mandatory paid sick leave, and specific break requirements. Seattle has additional predictive scheduling requirements for large employers.
Important: Washington does not allow tip credits, meaning all employees must receive the full minimum wage before tips. Cities like Seattle and SeaTac have higher minimum wages than the state level.
Washington has one of the highest state minimum wages in the nation, with annual increases tied to inflation.
Washington follows federal overtime rules with some additional protections.
Washington requires specific meal and rest periods for all non-exempt employees.
Washington requires paid sick leave for all employees statewide.
Seattle has predictive scheduling requirements for large retail and food service employers.
Several Washington cities have additional labor requirements beyond state law:
Higher minimum wage ($19.97 for large employers), predictive scheduling, and wage theft protections.
$19.71 minimum wage for hospitality and transportation workers near the airport.
Higher minimum wage and paid sick leave requirements.
Paid sick leave ordinance with specific accrual requirements.
Rightwork automatically enforces Washington state and local labor laws in your schedules, including break requirements, overtime calculations, and predictive scheduling.
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