-..,
Washington
State
Department
of
,
Labor
&
Industries
Equal Pay and Opportunities Act
Complaint
Under the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) pay and career advancement opportunities cannot be
based on gender. EPOA prohibits gender pay discrimination and promotes fairness among workers by
addressing business practices that contribute to gender pay gaps. Employees and applicants have different
rights under this law.
Who can file a complaint?
As an employee, you can file a complaint if your employer (or former employer) has:
• Provided you with unequal compensation compared to other employees who are similarly employed, based on
gender.
• Limited or denied career advancement opportunities, based on gender.
• Prohibited you from discussing wages.
• NOT provided you with wage or salary information for your new position after you were offered an internal
transfer or promotion and requested the information. (Applies to employers with 15 or more employees only)
• Retaliated against you for filing a complaint, testifying in an EPOA proceeding, or exercising your rights under
EPOA.
As an applicant, you can file a complaint if an employer with whom you have applied for a job has:
• Sought your wage or salary history.
• Required your wage or salary history meet certain criteria, such as requiring that you made a minimum salary
previously in order to be eligible to apply for a new position.
• NOT provided you with the minimum wage or salary of the position you applied for after you were offered the
position and requested the information. (Applies to employers with 15 or more employees only)
For more information, go to: www.Lni.wa.gov/EqualPay
How to file an Equal Pay and Opportunities Act complaint:
• Complete and sign the attached form. Attach a separate sheet of paper if you need more space to explain your
complaint.
• Attach any additional information or records related to your complaint, such as pay statements, personnel
information, or employer correspondence (including emails and text messages). This is very important to
help us understand your complaint.
• Mail your complaint form to:
Department of Labor and Industries
Employment Standards
PO Box 44510
Olympia, WA 98504-4510
Or
Bring your complaint form to your nearest L&I office.
! Important: If you move or get a new phone number after filing a complaint, call L&I right away at
1-866-219-7321 to prevent delays in the investigation.
What happens after you file a complaint?:
L&I will review the information you provided to determine if your complaint can be investigated. If so, we will:
• Assign an Industrial Relations Agent to investigate your complaint. Due to the nature of this law, L&I will need
to tell the employer that you filed a complaint.
• If we determine that you are owed money, L&I will attempt to collect the money owed; however, we cannot
guarantee that we can collect it for you.
! Important: You also have the right to file private legal action against an employer for violations of
this law. However, L&I cannot investigate the complaint if a civil complaint is filed in court.
F700-200-000 Equal Pay Opportunity Act Complaint Form 07-2019