SEATTLE—Ahead of the state Immigrant Worker Protection Act taking full effect on Oct. 1, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is providing guidance and materials to help employers meet obligations under the law.
The law requires that employers inform workers within five business days when federal agents have issued a notice to conduct an inspection of workers’ employment eligibility documents, known as I-9 forms. Attorney General Nick Brown successfully pushed for the Legislature to pass the Immigrant Worker Protection Act earlier this year as part of his commitment to protecting the rights of workers and increasing fairness and transparency in the workplace.
The Attorney General’s Office has now issued guidance to help employers meet their new legal obligations under RCW 49.97, as well as materials for businesses, including a mandatory workplace poster and model notice forms in multiple languages.
“This law establishes basic requirements to ensure immigrant workers in Washington are treated with respect and receive the same information as their employers about these inspections,” Brown said. “Our office will help businesses understand their responsibilities under this new law, as well as the rights of employers and workers when it comes to federal immigration enforcement.”
The Legislature directed the AGO to produce several documents as part of the bill. Those documents have been released today in English, Mandarin (Simplified Chinese), Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. The published materials include:
- A required workplace poster informing workers of the notice requirements in the law
- A model notice for employers to use to comply with the notice requirement
- Guidance to employers on their rights as a business when immigration officials come to a workplace or request other worker records
The AGO is reaching out to businesses, industry associations, and chambers of commerce to share these materials and offer proactive education about existing employer rights and responsibilities and their new requirements under the law.
Anyone may report concerns or possible violations of the Immigrant Worker Protection Act to the AGO by emailing IWPA@atg.wa.gov. More information about the law, the notice requirements, and employer rights and responsibilities can be found at https://www.atg.wa.gov/IWPA.
Source: Washington State Attorney General’s Office
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
