On New Year's Day, three important changes took effect for WA workers:
The statewide minimum wage rose to $14.49/hour, and in Seattle the minimum wage for most workers rose to $17.27/hour.
Tens of thousands of agricultural workers will now get overtime pay when they work overtime hours. That’s the result of a groundbreaking state law won by farmworkers during the 2021 legislative session, which ended a longstanding racist exclusion in our labor laws.
And thousands more underpaid and overworked salaried workers now have the right to overtime pay when they work overtime hours. Overtime protections have expanded in 2022 to cover most salaried workers in WA paid less than about $53,000/year. Salaried workers making less than that amount will receive overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours/week — and those overtime protections will continue to expand over the next few years to eventually cover salaried workers paid up to about $75,000/year.
We’re going to shift the balance of power from bosses to workers even more in 2022. That means passing the Pay Up policies to ensure higher pay, better flexibility, and more transparency for Seattle gig workers. It means advancing an innovative portable paid time off system that ensures nannies, housecleaners, and other domestic workers can actually take time off when they need it. It means continuing to win a stronger voice for workers on the issues that affect our lives. And it means demanding legislators and state leaders take action to protect our health, safety, and economic security through this ongoing pandemic crisis.
Stay tuned.