December 2022

Washington Minimum Wage for 2023 to be $15.74 per Hour

The Washington State minimum wage for 2023 will increase to $15.74 an hour in January. That’s up $1.25 from what it is now. 

The 8.66 percent rise is directly linked to the cost of common goods such as housing, food, and medical care as reflected in the Consumer Price Index. 

State law directs the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) to calculate the minimum wage for the coming year based on the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). In making the calculation, L&I compares the CPI-W index from August of the previous year to the index for August of the current year. 

The state minimum wage applies to workers aged 16 and older. Under state law, employers can pay 85 percent of the minimum wage to workers ages 14-15. For 2023, the wage for that younger group will be $13.38 per hour. 

Cities can set minimum wages higher than the state. Seattle and SeaTac both have higher wages. 

For Overtime Exempt Employees 

With the determination of the minimum wage for 2023, L&I has also calculated new minimum salary requirements for employees who are exempt from receiving overtime pay. The minimum salaries are a multiplier of the minimum wage. This change impacts “white collar” positions held by executive, administrative, and professional workers plus computer professionals and outside salespeople. To be exempt from earning overtime, a worker must earn at least the minimum salary and their duties must meet a jobs test. 

The 2023 minimum salary for exempt employees working for small employers (1-50 employees) is 1.75 times the minimum wage. That means an employee exempt from overtime pay must earn at least $1,101.80 a week ($57,293.60 a year). 

For large employers (51 or more employees), the threshold is 2 times the minimum wage. Those employees must earn at least $1,259.20 a week ($65,478.40 a year).

L&I updated the overtime rules in 2020, creating an eight-year implementation schedule that incrementally raises the multiplier until it reaches 2.5 times in 2028. The pace of the increase is based on the size of the employer. 

Under the same rules, exempt computer professionals may be paid an hourly rate rather than a salary. In 2023 and beyond, the applicable hourly rate is 3.5 times the minimum wage, regardless of employer size. For 2023, that will be $55.09 per hour. 

More information about the minimum wage is available on L&I's website, along with details about overtime, rest breaks, meal periods, and information on how to file a wage complaint. Employers and workers may also call 360-902-5316 or 1-866-219-7321. 

Learn about Key Employment Laws During Upcoming L&I Webinars 

A series of webinars this winter from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries will give workers and employers the opportunity to learn more about the state’s employment laws. 

The sessions cover worker’s rights, white-collar overtime rules, isolated worker protections, and the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act. There also are webinars in English and Spanish to explain the agricultural overtime law. 



Led by Employment Standards program staff, each webinar lasts about 45 minutes, and includes time for questions at the end. 

To register for any of these sessions, go to the Workshops and Training web page and search for the webinar by its title in the “Event Title” drop-down menu. 

New EPOA Administrative Policy Details Upcoming Job Posting Requirements

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has released an administrative policy to provide guidance on the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (RCW 49.58).

The law prohibits pay discrimination based on gender and promotes fairness among workers by addressing business practices that contribute to income disparities among genders. Employees and job applicants have rights under this law. 

The administrative policy also addresses job posting requirements for employers brought about by the passage of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5761. Effective Jan. 1, employers with 15 or more employees must provide a wage scale or salary range, plus information on benefits and other compensation in their job postings. 

The policy also provides guidance on the department’s existing interpretations of the act. 

To provide more information about the law, the Employment Standards program is holding webinars. Employers can sign up for a session on the Workshops and Training Center web page. In the event title dropdown menu, look for “Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (Webinar)” to find the webinars. The schedule for the "Job Posting Transparency" webinars is: 

• Jan. 12 at 9 a.m. 
• Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. 

Topics to be covered include what constitutes a job posting, what information must be included in a job posting, what constitutes a wage scale or salary range as well as benefits and other compensation. You can also learn about the free consultations the program offers employers.

Employers who would like in-depth education on the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act can request a consultation with the EPOA team. A consultation is an educational opportunity and provides an informed assessment of possible risks specific to you as an employer as well as proposes resolutions to assist with future compliance with the law. As part of the consultation, L&I conducts a comprehensive review of your employment policies and practices to assess potential risks. Employers can also request a consultation about a specific concern. 

For more information, contact L&I’s Equal Pay agents or 360-902-6625.

WDA/OSDA Annual Conference

Registration opening in 2023! Stayed tuned for more details.

2023 Lectures and Workshops Submission Is Now Open!

The Program Committee invites you to be a part of the WDA/OSDA Joint Conference by submitting course proposals for the 2023 conference at Skamania Lodge, April 27 - 30, 2023.

The submission window will close on January 31, 2023 at 5pm. If you have any questions, please contact Megan Schoenfelder, WDA Executive Director at [email protected].

Exhibit or Sponsor at the WDA/OSDA Joint Conference

Our members need your products and services. The WDA/OSDA Joint Conference is your opportunity to show them why you are the best! Book your tradeshow table today and start networking with our members!

2023 WDA Membership Dues

It is time to renew your WDA dues for 2023! Member Benefits include:

• Discount on Conference Attendance fees
• Membership to the National Denturist Association
• Legislative support
• Office advertisement on Washington Denturist Association website
• Subscription to the Washington Denturist Association newsletter
• Access to Peer Review resolution process

You should have received an invoice for your membership dues for 2023 if you are a previous member. If you did not, please contact Megan at [email protected] to receive an invoice.

If you are not a current member, please fill out the membership application. First year membership dues are discounted to $500 annually.

We are always looking for volunteers to join our committees. If you are interested in joining one of the following committees to support the organization and connect with your peers, please contact Megan at [email protected].

• Higher Education Committee
• Legislative Committee
• Membership Committee

Donate to the PAC

YOUR ACTION NEEDED TODAY: AN INVESTMENT IN THE WASHINGTON DENTURIST POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE IS AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR BUSINESS’ SURVIVAL!



WDA has several priorities in the 2023 Legislative Session. We need to make sure insurance companies cannot ignore denturists as a part of the state’s dental care system and we need to expand Medicaid to better take care of denture patients. This is going to require a Legislature made of people who know who denturists are and who support denturists as dental providers. This means the 2022 elections are a key. Our entire House of Representatives is up for re-election, and half of our state’s Senate. Add that to a number of legislative retirements and vacancies and we will need to do a lot of work to help get denturist supporters elected. 

Why is this important? Denturists have been fighting – and winning – here in Washington to be recognized major players in the dental community. From the originating initiative in 1994 to expanding our scope of practice in 2013, we have accepted the political challenges of our profession and had success. It is this grassroots and patient support combined with our willingness to pool our funds to achieve our goals that has gotten the attention of our state’s legislators. 

No one gets elected without financial assistance and the WDA Political Action Committee (WDPAC) helps get the attention of candidates before they are elected. Therefore, we are urging you to contribute TODAY to the Washington Denturist Political Action Committee (WDPAC).  Checks can be made out to:

WDA PAC

C/O Northwest Dental

2710 Meridian St.

Bellingham, WA 98225

This is a request that should not be ignored. Instead, it should be viewed as a key investment in the success and survival of your business – since politics and government oversee everything your business does. The WDPAC is the easiest way for you to get involved in what government is doing.

Most health care provider groups have PACs and many of them are very well-funded – particularly the Dentists. While WDA may not be able to get to the $400,000 plus of the Dentist PAC, we can get to an amount that will enable us to make sure Denturist supporters are elected to the Legislature in 2023. The more Denturist supporters are elected, the easier it will be to get the insurance changes and other protections needed to keep Denturists as a vital and valuable health care provider in Washington! 

Writing a check is the easiest form of political action there is – and it can have the most impact when combined through a political action committee to help elect people who would vote as you would vote if you were in Olympia! 

So please write that check for $100, $500, $1000 or even more. No contribution is too small, and no contribution is too big.