AG Brown Launches Worker Rights Unit To Combat Wage Theft, Strengthen Labor Protections

Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown recently announced the creation of a new Worker Rights Unit within his office, marking a major step forward in the state’s efforts to uphold labor protections and combat wage theft. The announcement positions Washington as a national leader in worker advocacy at a time when federal enforcement has been weakened.

“Our office’s new Worker Rights Unit will be able to support the working people of our state, as they face increasing challenges to maintain quality jobs and an affordability crisis,” said Brown. “National studies show that employers steal as much as $50 billion a year from workers. This unit will fight to even the playing field for Washington workers and hold corporations accountable that exploit their workers.”

The initiative is in response to what Brown described as the federal government’s abandonment of meaningful labor enforcement. According to the Attorney General’s Office, recent actions by the current administration include defunding the U.S. Department of Labor’s enforcement capacity, ending oversight of minimum wage requirements for federal contractors, and cutting 20 percent of DOL staff. These changes have created an environment where violations often go unchecked, leaving states to fill the gap.

Brown said the new Worker Rights Unit will play that role in Washington by actively enforcing state laws and filing worker protection cases. The unit will prioritize wage theft cases and focus on low- and moderate-income workers who may be reluctant to file complaints due to fear of retaliation. This fear is often heightened among immigrant workers and those in vulnerable employment situations.

The unit will collaborate closely with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) and the Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS), two agencies with established roles in enforcing state and city labor laws. The Attorney General’s Office aims to complement their efforts by focusing on cases where more enforcement power is needed to hold employers accountable.

“Washington’s labor movement has fought hard to ensure our state’s laws protect all working people. But laws are only as good as their enforcement. Too often, bad bosses use their power to deny workers their rights,” said April Sims, president of the Washington State Labor Council. “We’re heartened to see Attorney General Nick Brown stand up a unit dedicated to ensuring workers are paid the wage they’ve earned, are able to exercise their rights, and are respected on the job. The hardworking people of Washington deserve nothing less.”

The Worker Rights Unit will be part of a broader strategy that includes legislative partnerships. Brown’s office plans to work with lawmakers ahead of the 2026 legislative session on proposals to streamline investigations and introduce additional protections, particularly for immigrant workers.

Danielle Alvarado, executive director of Working Washington, said the new unit sends a powerful signal amid federal rollbacks.

“As the federal government deliberately weakens workplace protections and defunds labor enforcement, Attorney General Brown has sent a strong message that Washington remains committed to ensuring every worker’s rights are upheld,” Alvarado said. “This new dedicated unit makes clear we will never abandon our vision of a just economy and the right of workers to fight for what we deserve.”

Wage theft remains one of the most widespread and damaging violations of worker rights. It can take multiple forms, including unpaid overtime, failure to meet minimum wage standards, denial of meal and rest breaks, withholding of tips, and employee misclassification. Though illegal, these practices persist in many sectors.

In Washington’s construction industry alone, wage theft has reached alarming levels. A recent study estimates that the underground economy costs construction workers in the state approximately $142.6 million in unpaid wages each year.

“Wage theft is rampant in the construction industry,” said Heather Kurtenbach, executive secretary of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council. “The Attorney General’s Office has been a great partner working to hold scofflaw employers accountable. We are incredibly excited to work collaboratively with the new Worker Rights Unit to further combat wage theft and protect workers.”

While L&I and OLS have made significant progress in investigating and penalizing violators, advocates argue the current enforcement system does not fully protect workers. Many wage theft cases are time-consuming and resource-intensive, and workers often struggle to recover lost wages even after complaints are filed.

The new Worker Rights Unit aims to shift that dynamic by dedicating specialized resources and legal capacity to these cases. Brown said the unit will bring “horsepower” to the fight and increase the state’s ability to take legal action against exploitative employers.

In addition to wage theft enforcement, the unit will coordinate with other divisions within the Attorney General’s Office that address workplace safety, environmental violations, and civil rights. This cross-divisional approach aims to leverage the full scope of the AG’s authority to ensure workplace justice.

Washington already has some of the most progressive labor protections in the country, including the second-highest minimum wage, paid overtime for agricultural workers, and heat protections for outdoor laborers. The state also enforces protections against pregnancy-related discrimination and retaliation. But enforcement, Brown emphasized, is what turns those laws into real protections.