New Laws Affecting Paychecks for Some WA Workers on Jan. 1st

Washington state implements a new minimum wage and several new laws on January 1st.

FOX13 is reporting the minimum wage in Washington state will go up to $16.66 per hour, a 2.35% from 2024.

Beginning January 1st, 2025 all hospitals will be prohibited from mandating overtime for certain health care workers in Washington.

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The new rule will ban mandatory overtime for most hospital employees who work directly in patient care.  The policy covers nurses, surgical technicians and clinical staff.  There are some exceptions to the restrictions on mandatory overtime.

Confluence Health says restrictions have been in place for a year and the only change in the new year is expanding those rules to additional covered staff, according to Adam MacDonald, Confluence Communications manager.

Smaller hospitals and critical access facilities have until July 1st to comply with the new order.

The new Washington Paid Sick Leave requires employers to provide workers access to at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked.  The program has safeguards against discrimination or retaliation for utilizing the benefit.

Other new laws taking effect Jan. 1st, 2025 include bans on Washington state license plate covers, protections for App-based workers and safety requirements for workers in hospital emergency rooms.