Over the past several years, Washington has experienced a surge in employment-related class action filings. Class actions have been filed against employers of every size, in every sector, and across every region of the state.

A Dramatic Rise in Filings

According to publicly available litigation data[1], the volume of employment class action filings has skyrocketed over the past five years. In 2021, plaintiffs filed approximately 68 employment class actions across the state. In 2022, that number rose to just over 100. In 2025, Washington saw around 765 new employment class action filings statewide.

What’s Driving the Spike?

While no one factor can fully explain the surge, the data and recent case filings point to several key drivers.[2]

1. A sharp rise in wage and hour litigation, particularly around meal and rest break compliance.
   About 32% of 2025 employment class actions included claims that employers failed to provide compliant meal and rest breaks, automatically‑deducted meal periods without confirming breaks were taken, or failed to provide premium pay for missed breaks. These cases span industries—from hospitality and retail to healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics—and affect both large companies and smaller local employers. The 2024 Androckitis v. Virginia Mason Medical Center decision likely had an impact on the number of filings. We wrote about the Androckitis decision here, which endorsed a 30-minute penalty for break violations. The ruling, which is being...

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