The fight for equal pay continues
The racial and gender wealth gap is widening. Top earners in Washington state continue to accumulate wealth at disproportionate rates, while middle- and low-income households become increasingly cost burdened. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research estimates that at the current rate of progress, Washington’s gender wage gap will not close until 2070.
Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunity Act begins to right this wrong by strengthening employees’ rights and keeping employers accountable.
Recent wins
In 2025, the Washington State Legislature modified the Employer Wage and Salary Disclosure law that was passed in 2019. The law gives employers five days to correct a job posting and changes the enforcement mechanism. Starting in 2027, any complaint will be investigated by the Department of Labor and Industries. If there is no resolution, L&I may order the employer to pay damages to a job applicant affected by the violation. The law previously gave job applicants the right to sue when an employer violated the law.
In 2024, HB 1905 strengthened the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, expanding equal pay and wage discrimination protections to many protected classes. The Washington Work and Family Coalition advocated for the inclusion of more protected classes, including a person’s age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog or service animal by a person with a disability.
The law will take effect July 1, 2025, and will prohibit discrimination in compensation or career advancement opportunities based on the employees.
History of Equal Pay and Opportunity Act
In 2018, the Washington State Legislature updated the Equal Pay and Opportunity Act, ensuring that workers had the right to discuss salary disparities without fear of retaliation or being fired, and required employers to shift the burden of proof to demonstrate legitimate reasons for pay and career opportunities differences.
The Washington Work and Family Coalition has and continues to advocate for workplace policies that create pay equity for people for whom certain characteristics created by racist and sexist institutional policies are not valued despite their professional skills, training, and workplace experience in the workplace. See below for our work on improving the Equal Pay and Opportunity Act.
In 2019, a new law required employers to disclose a salary range and general description of benefits and other compensation in job postings. This visibility enables candidates to understand the pay and benefits structure, providing the necessary information to negotiate more effectively. This law creates equity because it eliminates the possibility of wage disparities that are based on biases like race, gender, disabilities, etc.
Washington Work and Family Coalition 