OLYMPIA – The House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee unanimously passed legislation to add flexibility to health care workers’ break times Tuesday. Current rules require meal breaks to take place between the first 2 – 5 hours of an 8-hour shift despite the fact that many hospital workers’ shifts are much longer than that. Sponsored by Representative Brianna Thomas (D-West Seattle), House Bill 1879 would allow hospitals to waive break timing requirements if the workers and hospitals voluntarily and mutually agree to do so.
“This fix allows workers to take breaks at times that make sense for their schedules, which lets them balance taking care of us, and taking care of themselves,” Thomas said. “Worker safety and care is always going to be my top priority, and with this bill we are able to do just that; we also can rely on predictable, transparent oversight in the administration of hospitals leading to worker retention and improved patient care.”
This bill improves upon legislation passed in 2023 which addressed health care workforce shortages and retention challenges, and enforced meal and rest breaks for hospital staff. Watch testimony on HB 1879 here on TVW.
The bill now moves to the House Rules committee for further consideration.
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