Labor Council to Push Wage Theft Bill in 2027
The Washington State Labor Council plans to advocate for legislation against wage theft in the 2027 legislative session and is surveying workers about their experiences.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Employment
The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO plans to advocate for wage theft legislation in the 2027 legislative session. The council is asking working people to share their wage theft experiences through a survey.
Why it matters
An estimated more than $600 million is stolen from Washington workers each year through wage theft, which is underreported and can be costly and time-consuming to recover through lawsuits. Legislation aimed at deterring wage theft would address a gap that individual claims often fail to close.
An estimated more than $600 million is stolen from Washington workers each year through wage theft, according to figures cited by the labor council. One study estimates wage theft costs low-wage workers as much as 10% of the pay they have earned, though the methodology behind the statewide estimate is not specified.
The players
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
The state federation of labor unions that is advocating for wage theft legislation and collecting worker experiences through a survey.
The details
Wage theft includes minimum wage violations, unpaid breaks and overtime, withheld paychecks, and off-the-clock work. Recent cases include a $1.8 million judgment won by bikini baristas over pay violations and a settlement reached by Rivas Painting workers through Seattle's Office of Labor Standards over alleged paid leave ordinance violations.
Timeline
2027 legislative session: the Washington State Labor Council plans to advocate for wage theft legislation in Olympia.
Macro View
The proposed legislation would extend wage enforcement beyond the city-level routes that have produced recent settlements, such as Seattle's Office of Labor Standards. Lawsuits by individual workers and the state attorney general, including a pending case against the same employer as the bikini baristas, show the current reliance on case-by-case recovery.
Workers who believe they have been shorted on pay, overtime, or breaks may be able to pursue recovery, but lawsuits can be slow and expensive. The labor council's survey invites workers to document their experiences as the 2027 legislative push takes shape.
The takeaway
Workers who experience pay violations should keep records of hours, breaks, and paychecks, since documentation is central to any wage claim. Following the labor council's survey and the 2027 session can show whether statewide protections expand.
What happens next
The Washington State Labor Council plans to advocate for wage theft legislation during the 2027 legislative session.
Further reading
Explore more Employment coverage for Washington workers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NW Labor Press.
