Legislation recently passed both chambers of the Washington State legislature amending Washington’s current wage transparency law which only prohibits employers from asking an applicant about their current salary and requires the disclosure of job salaries only after an offer has been made. Under the new law, employers with 15 or more employees will be required to disclose in each job posting (without limitation on type of job) the wage scale or salary range, benefits, and any other compensation available for the position. Posting includes direct posting by the employer or indirect posting through a third party, and postings may be electronic or in print. The same requirement also applies to internal transfers in a company.
The law was delivered to Governor Inslee for review on March 11, 2022.[1] If passed by Governor Inslee, the law will go into effect January 1, 2023. Please reach out to the Gordon & Rees Employment Law team in Washington with any questions or to better understand the implications of this development.