Expansion of Washington Workers Equal Pay Law Starts Today

A new law in that expands Washington workplace protections involving equal pay and promotion discrimination takes effect today.

The law legislation passed in 2024 expands the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act from gender discrimination to also include:

• Sex, marital status, sexual orientation.
• Race, creed, color, age (40 and older).
• National origin, citizenship or immigration status.
• Honorably discharged veteran or military status.
• The presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.

The state’s first equal pay law, passed in 1943, prevented employers from paying a female less than a male for doing similar work. The law was expanded in 2018 with the passage of the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, which addressed the lack of clear definitions and strengthened the state’s enforcement capabilities.

The changes taking effect today mean a person’s gender or membership in another protected class cannot be a reason for pay differences between employees with similar jobs or to determine if someone gets promoted.

Two additional changes to the law take effect July 27 based on legislative changes passed earlier this year.

One change prohibits employers from requiring employees to have a driver’s license unless driving is an essential job function or part of a job’s legitimate business.

The other change involves job posting requirements. Employers with 15 or more employees must include wage information, a general description of all benefits and a general description of other compensation in their job postings. Employers that are notified a posting does not meet the law’s requirements will have five business days to fix it and avoid penalties and damages.

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Washington