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Equal Pay


The Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act is designed to close the gap in wages and advancement opportunities for Washington workers, especially women. Employers must provide equal pay for equal work and equal opportunities for career advancement, regardless of gender. But Washington goes several steps further to promote fairness, banning harmful employer practices that have historically perpetuated disparities in pay. For example, employers can not ask potential new hires about their past salary or wage history, nor can they ask the candidate’s current or former employer for that information. Employers are also not allowed to prevent their employees from discussing their wages. And employers are prohibited from taking any negative action against employees who communicate about their compensation.