What is wrongful termination in Washington?

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Washington provides   strong employee protections   through both statutory and common-law channels.    1. Public Policy Tort — Thompson/Gardner    Thompson v. St. Regis Paper Co. , 102 Wn.2d 219 (1984), recognized the wrongful discharge tort.  Gardner v. Loomis Armored , 128 Wn.2d 931 (1996), articulated the four-element test: 1.   Clarity   — clear public policy. 2.   Jeopardy   — discouraging conduct would jeopardize policy. 3.   Causation   — public policy-protected conduct caused the discharge. 4.   Absence of overriding justification  .  Plaintiffs must show no other adequate alternative remedy exists ( Korslund v. DynCorp , 156 Wn.2d 168 (2005)). The "adequate alternative remedy" requirement has narrowed  Thompson  significantly.    2. Washington Law Against Discrimination — RCW 49.60.180   Prohibits termination based on   race, creed, color, national origin, sex (incl. pregnancy), age (40+), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, honorably discharged veteran/military status, disability, use of a service animal  . Applies to employers with   8+ employees  .   3-year SOL  .   No agency exhaustion required   — direct civil action allowed.   Uncapped   compensatory and punitive damages.    3. Whistleblower Statutes   -   RCW 49.60.210  : prohibits retaliation under WLAD. -   RCW 42.40 (State Employees)  : state-employee whistleblower act. -   RCW 49.12.005  : industrial welfare whistleblower. -   RCW 49.46.100  : minimum wage retaliation.    4. Workers' Comp Retaliation — RCW 51.48.025   Prohibits termination for filing workers' comp claim.    5. Paid Family and Medical Leave — RCW 50A   Effective 2020. Provides up to 12 weeks paid leave (16 with serious health condition, 18 with pregnancy complications). Termination for using PFML is unlawful.    6. Healthy Starts Act / Pregnancy Accommodations — RCW 43.10.005   Expanded pregnancy accommodation rights.    7. WARN Act   Federal WARN applies; no state WARN.    8. Equal Pay and Opportunities Act — RCW 49.58   Strong pay equity protections; prohibits retaliation for discussing wages.    9. Statute of Limitations   - Public policy tort:   3 years   (RCW 4.16.080). - WLAD:   3 years  . - Workers' comp retaliation:   2 years  .  This is legal information, not legal advice.