The Workers’ Rights Manual
Every year, thousands of workplace violations go unaddressed because people are unaware of their rights in the workplace. Since 2007, the Washington State Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) has been publishing the Workers’ Rights Manual, the only comprehensive document for Washington workers that outlines workers’ rights including state, federal, and local levels. The Manual, one of the most well-known workers’ rights resources in the state, is now in its 6th Edition, and is updated annually to incorporate the latest changes to federal, state, and municipal laws.
An Easy to Use Reference
The Workers Rights Manual provides an easily understandable reference guide for workers to understand their rights and access resources for enforcing them. The Manual highlights 5 categories of rights, divided into chapters:
1. The right to be paid
2. The right to care for yourself and your family
3. The right to be free of discrimination
4. The right to be safe at work
5. The right to organize
Each chapter gives an overview of the major rights and protections afforded by laws at different levels, common questions that may come up, and resources for further questions.
Get Help
A critical part of being able to make your rights real is being able to access resources. The Manual provides links and pointers to dozens of state, federal, and nonprofit resources for workers. Unfortunately, some workplaces have abused their internet filters to block their employees from accessing the rightsatworkwa.org domain while at work. Employees whose access has been blocked can find an embedded version of the manual below.