Workers' rights
We support workers in asserting their rights against workplace abuse and exploitation.
Workplace abuse and exploitation can take many forms and is often devastating, particularly for workers earning a low wage. When an employer engages in wage theft, sexual harassment, refusal to accommodate a disability, retaliation for asserting basic rights, or other unfair and illegal treatment, the effects on workers can be disastrous, creating a crisis that has ripple effects throughout their lives.
Many workers earning a low wage—who may be immigrants, LGBTQ, and/or have disabilities—are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, often because they lack a meaningful safety net. Wage theft or job loss can quickly lead to debt, food insecurity, or loss of housing. All too often, workers do not come forward for fear of retaliation or because they are not sure where to go for help.
900
workers defended by NYLAG in cases challenging discrimination and illegal retaliation last year
Services
Our lawyers represent workers facing wage theft, discrimination, retaliation, and other unfair treatment by their employers. NYLAG’s lawyers can help in the following ways:
- Representing workers with employment discrimination based on race, gender, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and other protected classes
- Representing workers who have been retaliated against for asserting their rights on the job
- Helping workers combat sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace
- Protecting workers’ rights to take Family Medical Leave, Paid Family Leave, and Paid Sick Leave
- Negotiating with employers to provide reasonable accommodations based on disability, pregnancy, and religion
- Recovering unpaid wages
- Contesting unfair denial of unemployment insurance benefits
Need free legal services or financial counseling?
Help us provide free legal services to workers getting low-wages.
NYLAG is part of the solution to combating workplace abuse and exploitation.
Documented: Documented and NYLAG Dispel Misinformation for Immigrants
Mel González, Project Director for the Employment Law Project at NYLAG, joined Documented for a question-and-answer session with recently arrived immigrants to offer crucial legal insight on their workers’ rights and protections in New York State.
NYLAG, NCLEJ & MRNY File Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against New York State Department of Labor for Discriminating in Unemployment Insurance Procedures
The complaint alleges that the New York State Department of Labor discriminates against its clients and workers who have limited English proficiency by failing to provide meaningful multilingual access to unemployment insurance.
Systematic Barriers Prevent Non-English Speakers from Accessing Unemployment Benefits in New York: NYLAG Attorney Comments
Language access barriers have systematically affected the ability for people with limited English skills to receive benefits from unemployment insurance programs in New York State. NYLAG volunteer attorney Ciara Farrell contributed to a report from the NCLEJ detailing these issues and their impact on clients.
