JANUARY 1, 2025 WILL SEE EXPANDED RIGHTS, HIGHER PAY FOR MANY WASHINGTON WORKERS

Some significant changes involving Washington worker rights and pay take effect on January 1, 2025. From the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), here’s what workers and employers need to know:

State Minimum Wage: The state’s minimum wage will increase to $16.66 an hour, up 2.35 percent from 2024. It applies to workers aged 16 and up. Employers may pay 85 percent of that wage or $14.16 an hour to workers ages 14-15.

Overtime Exempt Workers: The salary threshold used to determine if certain workers are exempt from overtime pay is going up to $1,332.80 a week ($69,305.60 a year) for employers with up to 50 employees, and $1,499.40 a week ($77,968.80 a year) for employers with 51 or more employees. The rate affects executive, administrative, and professional workers, plus computer professionals and outside salespeople. That means, if workers in those categories do not get paid for overtime, they must get paid at least those salaries. The hourly wage for exempt computer professionals will be $58.31, or 3.5 times the minimum wage.

Non-compete Agreements: Only workers who earn more than $123,394.17 per year or $308,485.43 per year for independent contractors can be held to non-competition agreements.

Employer Incentives: The maximum wage reimbursements for the Stay at Work and Preferred Worker Programs are increasing from $10,000 to $25,000 per claim in 2025. The limits for training and expenses will also increase. These programs offer financial incentives to employers when they help injured workers return to an approved job within their medical restrictions.

Paid Sick Leave: Washington’s paid sick leave law is expanding. Washington workers will be able to take paid sick leave to care for more people than they could before — including anyone who lives at their home or who has a relationship with them that creates an expectation that they would take care of them during an illness. Under the new law, workers can also take paid sick leave if an emergency closes their child’s school or daycare.