Pearls for Practice: Highlights of 2024 meal and rest break law

Beginning July 1, registered nurses working in urban and health system hospitals will see changes to meal and rest break management.

Highlights:

Employers are required to provide employees with a method to accurately record when an employee misses a meal or rest period. The employer uses this data to submit a quarterly meal and rest period report to Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I).

• L&I receives validated report data that includes 1) the total number of meal and rest periods missed in violation during the quarter and 2) the total number of meal and rest periods required during the quarter.
• The first quarterly report was due to L&I Oct. 30, 2024.
• If L&I determines that the employer is not 80 percent compliant with the meal and rest break requirements, or if the employer fails to submit the quarterly report, L&I will offer technical assistance until June 30, 2026.
• Beginning July 1, 2026, if L&I determines that a facility is not 80 percent compliant with the provision of meal and rest breaks, a penalty will be imposed.
• The employer may not take adverse action against employees for exercising their rights to a meal/rest period. This does not include noncoercive counseling, coaching, training, or other resources offered to an employee.

*The reporting provisions of this law go into effect for rural and critical access hospitals beginning July 1, 2026.

For additional information on Washington state’s hospital employee meal and rest break law, visit the WSNA website and click on safe staffing to locate reference materials.