2014 Washington State Workers’ Rights Manual now available

By KIA SANGER
Special to The Stand

Did you know that wage theft is a criminal offense in the City of Seattle?

How about that your boss is not allowed to demand access to your personal social media account?

Ever wonder if that unpaid internship really should be paid?

These topics and more are all covered in the new Washington State Workers’ Rights Manual!

The Washington State Labor Education and Research Center is proud to announce the release of the third edition of the Washington State Workers’ Rights Manual. Covering topics such as wage theft, privacy at work, immigrant worker rights, independent contractor misclassification, leave laws, and much more, the manual serves as an easy-to-use guide to workplace rights under federal, state and local laws.

“The Workers’ Rights Manual makes the rights of workers truly accessible, for union and non-union workers alike,” said Lynne Dodson, Secretary-Treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “This is especially critical in this time of such disparate wealth and opportunity. Economic justice requires people knowing their rights on the job.”

“Even the most progressive labor laws are meaningless if workers don’t know their rights,” said Rebecca Smith, Deputy Director of the National Employment Law Project. “The Washington State Workers’ Rights Manual is a key resource to help workers protect themselves, use the law to build collective power, and move us towards a better future for workers and their families.”

The manual is available in two formats: a complete desktop binder version that is a useful reference guide for home and work (available in English and Spanish), and an abridged version small enough to carry with you or hand out to members (available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Somali).

Sounds great, but not sure how it fits in with your current work? The Labor Center can provide workshops about how to use the manual in your union or community organization.

You can view and download all versions of the manual for free on the Labor Center’s website here. Order hard copies by emailing sarah.laslett@seattlecolleges.edu, or just drop by the Labor Center at South Seattle Community College’s Georgetown Campus located at 6737 Corson Ave South, Building B Room 106. To help us continue printing the manuals, we are suggesting a contribution of $7.50 for the abridged version and $15 for the complete binder — ask us about suggested contributions for a large order.

Kia Sanger is the Workers’ Rights Manual Project Manager for the Washington State Labor Education and Research Center. She can be reached at kia.sanger@seattlecolleges.edu.