AGO Labor Day Report emphasizes building stronger protections for Washington workers

The last year has seen progress to safeguard worker rights in Washington, but there's more to do, according to the Attorney General's Office's 2026 Labor Day Report, released today.

Highlights of the AGO's work this past year include:

• Launching a new Worker Rights Unit to emphasize enforcement of the state's labor protections.
• Passing the Immigrant Worker Protection Act to increase transparency and fairness in the workplace.
• Protecting the rights of pregnant workers at O'Reilly Auto Parts through a $5.6 million settlement.
• Securing compensation for local and female farmworkers alleging discrimination at Toppenish-based Cornerstone Ranches.
• Winning a court ruling against the federal administration's unlawful and indiscriminate firing of probationary federal workers in Washington.

"The people who power Washington's economy deserve fairness and vigorous enforcement of our state's legal protections," said Attorney General Nick Brown. "Our office is committed to fighting every day for the well-being and dignity of workers in our state."

The AGO works collaboratively with legislators, state and local agencies, worker advocates, unions, and businesses to help protect workers in Washington.

"Protecting workers' rights is one of the most essential functions of government. The work Attorney General Nick Brown and his staff do every day to ensure that Washington's labor laws are enforced is especially vital in this moment when the federal government has abandoned this responsibility," said April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. "Washington's labor movement is grateful to have an Attorney General dedicated to filling this gap and advocating for working people in our state."

We plan to continue fighting on behalf of workers in 2026 and 2027.

The 2026 report's recommendations for our office and for the state include calls to:

1. Conduct robust outreach to workers and businesses on their rights and requirements under the Immigrant Worker Protection Act.
2. Support farmworker collective bargaining.
3. Stop the underground economy by enacting a law to hold contractors responsible for labor violations committed by their subcontractors.
4. Ban surveillance pricing and surveillance wages in Washington state.

A copy of the Attorney General's Labor Day Report is available here.

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Washington's Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state's largest law firm, the Attorney General's Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington's 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

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