NWJP provides high quality legal support and education to workers and their organizations, focusing on the priority areas of:
• Low-wage workers’ organizing rights
• Rights of immigrant workers
• Rights of contingent workers (i.e., contract, part-time, day haul, temporary, etc.)
• Effects of international trade on low-wage workers
NWJP litigates major cases, undertakes policy advocacy, and provides training to workers about employment and organizing rights. Through training, referral, and co-counseling, NWJP also enlists the participation of private, pro bono lawyers and publicly funded legal services lawyers in aspects of this work, thereby further expanding low-wage workers’ access to legal help.
NWJP’s work results in increased enforcement of the workplace rights of low-wage, contingent, and immigrant workers. While every worker cannot be guaranteed legal representation, every employer who disregards workers’ employment and organizing rights faces the possibility of legal recourse. Most importantly, workers enjoy increased protection from arbitrary discharge for raising workplace issues and are more informed about workplace violations. Consequently, they are freer to advocate for themselves and exercise their right to organize collectively.
In the past 20 years, our small staff has worked for workers who faced wage theft, employment discrimination, and other workplace abuses:
Recovered in wages and damages more than
$7,000,000
On behalf of individuals
575
Plus class action on behalf of Workers
598 and 627
3,048 workers
Were provided of individualized advice, counsel and
support.
Mentored 140
Law students, paralegal interns, and fellowship attorneys in the legal representation and support of immigrant and contingent workers in low wage jobs as part of our mission to expand access to justice.
138 trainings
We organized more than 130 trainings for the Low Wage Worker Legal Network
23,000 workers
We reached workers of the public through Know Your
Rights education and outreach activities.
