Your Rights as a Worker in Washington State Poster Mandatory

Your Rights as a Worker	
 It’s the law!
Employers must post this notice where employees can read it.	
Wage and Overtime Laws
Workers must be paid the Washington minimum wage
 ƒ	Most workers who are 16 years of age or older must be 
paid at least the minimum wage for all hours worked. 
See 	www.Lni.wa.gov/MinWage	.	
 ƒ	Workers who are 14 or 15 may be paid 85% of the 
minimum wage.
 ƒ	Tips cannot be counted as part of the minimum wage. 
Employers must pay all tips to employees.	
Overtime pay is due when working more than 40 hours
Most workers must be paid one and one-half times their 
regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a fixed 
seven-day workweek.
Workers Need Meal and Rest Breaks
Meal period
Most workers are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid meal period 
if working more than five hours in a day. If you must remain 
on duty during your meal period, you must be paid for the 
30 minutes. Agricultural workers are entitled to a second 
30-minute unpaid meal period if they work more than 
11 hours in a day. Learn more at 	www.Lni.wa.gov/workers-	
rights/workplace-policies/rest-breaks-meal-periods-and-
schedules	.	
Breaks
 ƒ	Most workers are entitled to a 10-minute paid rest break 
for each four hours worked and must not work more than 
three hours without a break.
 ƒ	Agricultural workers must have a 10-minute paid rest 
break within each four-hour period of work.
 ƒ	If you are under 18, see “Teen Corner” at right.	
Pay Requirements
Regular Payday
Workers must be paid at least once a month on a regularly 
scheduled payday. Your employer must give you a pay 
statement showing the number of hours worked, rate of pay, 
number of piece work units (if piece work), gross pay, the pay 
period and all deductions taken.	
For more information regarding authorized deductions, go 
to 	www.Lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/getting-paid	 and 	
click on “Paycheck deductions.”
Equal Pay and Opportunities Act
Under this law, your employer is prohibited from providing 
unequal pay or career advancement opportunities based on 
gender. You also have the right to disclose, compare, or discuss 
your wages or the wages of other employees. Your employer 
cannot take any adverse action against you for discussing 
wages, filing a complaint, or exercising other protected rights 
under the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act. Employers also 
are prohibited from requesting a job applicant’s wage or salary 
history, except under certain circumstances, and cannot require 
an applicant’s wage or salary history meet certain criteria. Job 
applicants also have the right to certain salary information if 
the employer has 15 or more employees. For more information 
or to file a complaint, go to 	www.Lni.wa.gov/EqualPay	.	
Teen Corner	 — 	Information for Workers Ages 14 –17	
 ƒThe minimum age for work is generally 14, with dif ferent rules 
for ages 14 –15 and ages 16 –17.
 ƒEmployers must have a minor work permit to employ teens. 
This requirement applies to family members except on family 
farms. Teens do not need a work permit.
 ƒTeens are required to have authorization forms signed before 
they begin working. For summer employment, parents must 
sign the Parent Authorization for Summer Work form. If you 
work during the school year, a parent and a school of ficial 
must sign the Parent /School Authorization form.
 ƒMany jobs are not allowed for anyone under 18 because they 
are not safe.
 ƒWork hours are limited for teens, with more restrictions on 
work hours during school weeks.
Meal and rest breaks for teens
 ƒIn agricultural work, teens of any age get a meal period of 
3 0 minutes if working more than five hours, and a 10-minute 
paid break for each four hours worked.
 ƒIn all other industries, teens who are 16 or 17 must have a 
3 0-minute meal period if working more than five hours, and a 
10-minute paid break for each four hours worked. They must 
have the rest break at least ever y three hours.
 ƒTeens who are 14 or 15 must have a 3 0-minute meal period 
no later than the end of the four th hour, and a 10-minute paid 
break for ever y t wo hours worked.
To find out more about teens in the workplace: 	www.Lni.wa.gov/	 	
TeenWorkers	, 1-8 6 6-219-7321,	 [email protected]	.

Your Rights as a Worker	
Leave Laws
Paid sick leave
Most workers earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick leave 
for every 40 hours worked. This leave may be used beginning 
on the 90th calendar day of employment. Employers must 
provide employees with a statement that includes their accrued, 
used and available hours of this leave at least once per month. 
This information may be provided on your regular pay 
statement or as a separate notification. Workers must be allowed 
to carry over a minimum of 40 hours of any unused paid sick 
leave to the following year. For details on authorized use, 
accrual details, and eligibility, see 	www.Lni.wa.gov/SickLeave	.	
Washington Family Care Act: Use of paid leave to care 
for sick family
Employees are entitled to use their choice of any employer 
provided paid leave (sick, vacation, certain short-term 
disability plans, or other paid time off) to care for:
 ƒ	A child with a health condition requiring treatment 
or supervision;
 ƒ	A spouse, parent, parent-in-law, or grandparent with a serious 
health condition or an emergency health condition; and
 ƒ	Children 18 years and older with disabilities that make 
them incapable of self-care.
 ƒ	For more information, see 	www.Lni.wa.gov/workers-	
rights/leave/family-care-act	.	
Leave for victims of domestic violence, 
sexual assault or stalking
Victims and their family members are allowed to take 
reasonable leave from work for legal or law enforcement 
assistance, medical treatment, counseling, relocation, 
meetings with their crime victim advocate, or to protect their 
safety. Employers are also required to provide reasonable 
safety accommodations to victims. For more information, see 
www.Lni.wa.gov/DVLeave	.	
Leave for military spouses during deployment
Spouses or registered domestic partners of military 
personnel who receive notice to deploy or who are on leave 
from deployment during times of military conflict may take a 
total of 15 days unpaid leave per deployment.
Your employer may not fire or retaliate against you for 
exercising your rights or filing a complaint related to minimum 
wage, over time, paid sick leave or protected leave.	
Administered by other agencies
Paid Family and Medical Leave:	 Administered by 	
Washington Employment Security Department. 
Washington offers paid family and medical leave 
benefits to workers. This insurance program is funded by 
premiums paid by both employees and many employers. 
Workers are allowed to take up to 12 weeks, as needed, 
when they welcome a new child into their family, are 
struck by a serious illness or injury, need to take care of 
an ill or ailing relative, and for certain military connected 
events. As directed by the Legislature, premium 
assessment started on Jan. 1, 2019. For more information, 
see 	www.paidleave.wa.gov	.	
Pregnancy disabilit y leave:	 Enforced by the 	
Washington State Human Rights Commission under 
the Washington State Law Against Discrimination 
( W LAD). 	www.hum.wa.gov	 or 1-800-233-3247	
Family and Medical Leave Act:	 Administered by the 	
U.S. Department of Labor. Eligible employees can 
enforce their right to protected family and medical 
leave under the FMLA by contacting the Department 
of Labor at 	www.dol.gov/whd/fmla	 or 1-866-487-9243.	
Contact L&I
Need more information?	 	
Questions about filing a worker rights complaint?
 Online:  	www.Lni.wa.gov/workers-rights	
  Call:  1-86 6-219-7321, toll-free
 Visit: 	www.Lni.wa.gov/Offices	
 Email: 	[email protected]	
About required workplace posters
Go to 	www.Lni.wa.gov/RequiredPosters	 to learn more about 	
workplace posters from L&I and other government agencies.
Human trafficking is against the law
For victim assistance, call the National Human Traf ficking 
Resource Center at 1-8 8 8-373-78 8 8, or the Washington State 
Of fice of Crime Victims Advocacy at 1-8 0 0-82 2-10 67.
Upon request, foreign language support and formats for persons 
with disabilities are available. Call 1-800-547-8367. TDD users, 
call 711. L&I is an equal opportunity employer.	PUBLICATION F 70 0-074 -0 0 0 [10-2021]