Washington § 49.12.483 - Meal and rest breaks for health care facility employees — Enforcement — Penalties — Retaliatory actions — Appeals.

(1) The department must enforce the provisions of RCW 49.12.480, including reviewing reports submitted under RCW 49.12.480(2) to ensure they are timely, complete, and on the department-issued form.

(2)(a) Upon the department's review of the employer's report due under RCW 49.12.480(2), if the department determines that an employer is not 80 percent compliant with the meal and rest break requirements under RCW 49.12.480, and more than 20 percent of the required meals and rest periods were missed, or if an employer fails to properly submit a report, the department may offer to provide technical assistance to the employer, although until June 30, 2026, the department must offer technical assistance to the employer.

(b) Beginning July 1, 2026, if the department finds that an employer has exceeded the quarterly threshold in (a) of this subsection for missed meals and rest periods, the department must impose a penalty. The provisions of this subsection do not apply to employers who are hospitals defined in RCW 70.41.420(7)(b)(iv) until July 1, 2028.

(c)(i) The penalties assessed by the department each time the department imposes a penalty under (b) of this subsection are as follows:

(A) For hospitals certified as critical access hospitals under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1395i-4, or with up to 25 licensed beds: $5,000;

(B) For hospitals with 26 to 99 licensed beds: $10,000;

(C) For hospitals with 100 to 299 beds: $15,000; and

(D) For hospitals with 300 or more beds: $20,000.

(ii) If the department imposes a penalty in a third consecutive quarter, the department must double the penalty amounts in (c)(i) of this subsection for subsequent consecutive quarters. An employer in compliance for a single quarter is no longer subject to the penalties for subsequent violations under this subsection (c)(ii).

(3)(a) An employer may not take any adverse action against employees for exercising any right under RCW 49.12.480. An adverse action means any action taken or threatened by an employer against an employee for exercising the employee's rights under RCW 49.12.480 or this section, but does not include noncoercive counseling, coaching, training, or other resources offered to an employee.

(b) The department must investigate complaints related to compliance with (a) of this subsection. The director may require the testimony of witnesses and the production of documents as part of the director's investigation.

(c) If the director determines that an employer has violated (a) of this subsection, the director may:

(i) Order payment to the department of a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for an employer's first violation and not more than $5,000 for any subsequent related violation;

(ii) Order appropriate relief under this subsection (3) that includes any earnings the employee did not receive due to the employer's adverse action, including interest of one percent per month on all earnings owed. The earnings and interest owed will be calculated from the first date earnings were owed to the employee; or

(iii) Order the employer to restore the employee to the position of employment held by the employee when the retaliation occurred, or restore the employee to an equivalent position with equivalent employment hours, work schedule, benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment.

(4)(a)(i) An employer must provide valid data in reports required under RCW 49.12.480(2). Valid data means that the data included in the reports is attested to by an employer's designee and has not been inappropriately manipulated or modified; and

(ii) Employees must be free from coercion into inaccurate recording of their meal and rest periods under RCW 49.12.480.

(b) The department must investigate complaints related to compliance with (a) of this subsection that are facially based on the actual knowledge of the complaining party. The director may require the testimony of witnesses and the production of documents as part of the director's investigation.

(c) If the director determines that an employer has violated (a) of this subsection, the director may:

(i) Order the employer to pay the department a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for an employer's first violation and not more than $5,000 for any subsequent related violation; and

(ii) Order appropriate relief that includes any earnings the employee did not receive due to the employer's adverse action, including interest of one percent per month on all earnings owed. The earnings and interest owed will be calculated from the first date earnings were owed to the employee.

(5) The department may investigate and take appropriate enforcement action under this section without any complaint if the department discovers data in the course of an investigation or inspection.

(6) Any appeals of the department's decisions, including assessed penalties, and collection or deposit of civil penalties under this section must be pursuant to RCW 49.12.145 through 49.12.149.

(7) For the purposes of this section, "coercion" means compelling or inducing an employee to engage in conduct which the employee has a legal right to abstain from or to abstain from the conduct which the employee has a legal right to engage in.

Effective date—2023 c 114: See note following RCW 70.41.410.