This page lists fact sheets and other materials for workers by issue area.  For example, are you looking for information about your right to be paid or for information about workers’ compensation?  (For further materials, by type of worker, click here.)

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Hurricane Katrina and Low Wage Workers

Misclassification of Workers as Independent Contractors

Post-Katrina: 1099'd.    Because of their status as non-employees, misclassified “independent contractors” miss out on: minimum wage and overtime requirements, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, the right to form a union and bargain collectively, and other workplace protections like the right to safe and healthy worksites and to be free from discrimination in employment.  This fact sheet provides strategies for challenging employee misclassification. (revised Oct. 2005)

Post-Katrina: Subcontracted Workers Policy Update.    Newly-funded corporations with government money and unregulated smaller labor brokers sourcing workers for Gulf Coast clean-up work are using a time-worn system historically pervasive in the garment and agricultural sectors: subcontracting out work that could be done by in-house employees. This policy short describes this phenomenon and its negative effect on low-wage workers.  It also provides suggestions for how employers can be held accountable and workplace conditions improved for all. (revised Oct. 2005)

The Right to Be Paid

Post-Katrina: Day Labor: Workers' Right to be Paid.    Wage and hour laws protect the rights of all workers to be paid for their work.  These laws apply to both documented and undocumented workers.  They also protect workers who have been misclassified as independent contractors.  This fact sheet provides an overall of workers' right to be paid under federal law. (Oct. 2005)

Post-Katrina: Protecting Your Right to be Paid. Keeping good records of the time you worked and who you worked for is very important if you want to enforce your right to be paid for all of your work.  This fact sheet provides tips and a sample recordkeeping form for workers. (revised Oct. 2005)

Post-Katrina: Strategies for Enforcing the Right to be Paid in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.   There are many strategies for enforcing the right to be paid.  Each option is different and some can be used together to increase the chances of recovering unpaid wages. This fact sheet presents some possible strategies for workers who have not been paid the wages they were due. (Oct. 2005)

Health and Safety

Post-Katrina: Workplace Health and Safety While Performing Cleanup and Rebuilding. Workers engaging in post-Katrina cleanup and rebuilding work are likely to face a wide range of hazards from exposure to toxic substances including asbestos, damaged electrical lines, unstable buildings, fire and heat and sun exposure. Regardless of  immigration status, workers have a right to safety on the job and to workers’ compensation benefits if they are injured on the job.  This factsheet provides a brief overview of some of the rights workers have. (Oct. 2005)

Post-Katrina: The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA): Job Protections When You or a Family Member Has Health Problems.    Workers affected by the hurricane may need to take time off from work due to their own health problems or their need to care for a family member with health problems.  This fact sheet provides an overview of federal protections from job loss and other consequences for taking off for these reasons. (revised Oct. 2005)

Protecting Confidential Information
NYC Privacy Policy: Know Your Rights.   
In May and September of 2003, Mayor Bloomberg signed a pair of executive orders protecting the confidential information, including immigration status, of New Yorkers.  This fact sheet provides information for workers on their rights under this policy. (November 2003)

Drivers' Liscense
Obtaining a Drivers' License in New York
Driving is an essential part of the job for many workers. This fact sheet explains the basic requirements for obtaining a New York drivers' license. (May 2003).

Wage and Hour
Understanding Deductions from Wages
Despite legal restrictions on deductions, employers often try to get around the wage and hour laws by using illegal deductions to reduce the amount that workers get paid. You can protect your right to be paid by understanding when an employer can legally make deductions. (January 2003)  

Protecting Your Right to get Paid—How to Keep Good Wage and Hour RecordsThis  fact sheet for workers shares record keeping strategies for successful enforcement of unpaid wage claims. (Jul;y 2005)

Your Right to Be Paid
This fact New York fact sheet for workers explains the key elements of the wage and hour laws. (August 2005)

Employment Discrimination
Employment Discrimination 
This New York fact sheet for workers explains the laws protecting workers from workplace discrimination. (January 2002)

Social Security No-Match
Social Security No-Match Letters: Questions and Answers for Workers
This fact sheet for workers addresses frequently asked questions about workers' rights when their employer receives a Social-Security no-match letter. (July 2002)

Taking Time Off
Taking Time Off Your Job for Health or Family Reasons 
This fact sheet for workers explains the right take time off from work for medical reasons or to care for a sick family member. (January 2002)

Workers' Compensation
Workers' Compensation Benefits for Injured Workers
This New York fact sheet for workers provides information on eligibility and application for workers' compensation benefits. (Janaury 2002)  

Applying for Workers' Compensation Benefits
This New York fact sheet for workers outlines the process of applying for workers' compensation benefits. (May 2002)

Unemployment
Benefits for Unemployed Workers 
This New York fact sheet for workers explains basic eligibility requirements and application process for unemployment insurance benefits in New York. (January 2002)

Getting Unemployment Benefits and Keeping Them
This New York fact sheet for workers addresses common issues that arise when workers apply for unemployment insurance benefits. (January 2002)

Were You Turned Down for Unemployment Benefits? 
This New York fact sheet for workers explains what to do when the Department of Labor denies an application for unemployment insurance benefits. (January 2002)