Attorney General Martha Coakley Launches Public Awareness Campaign on Workplace Rights
- AG’s outreach includes multi-lingual ad campaign and informational brochures

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

July 17, 2008

Contact:
Melissa Karpinsky
Harry Pierre
(617) 727-2543


BOSTON – As part of its ongoing effort to educate employees and employers of legal rights and responsibilities under the Commonwealth’s Wage and Hour Laws, Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office this week launched a statewide public awareness campaign. The primary goal of the campaign, which includes multi-lingual print and radio advertisements, as well as a specialized informational website, http://www.MassWorkRights.com, is to educate workers throughout the state, and particularly those for whom English is their second language, of their rights under the laws.

“The Commonwealth’s Wage & Hour Laws afford individuals many rights and protections in the workplace. However, we have found that many employees are not aware of what their rights are,” said Attorney General Coakley. “Our goal in launching this campaign is to provide information to workers across the state—and particularly those for whom English is not their first language—on what the law says they are entitled to, such as meal breaks and overtime.”

Central to the public awareness campaign is a specialized website, http://www.MassWorkRights.com, which provides information on proper compensation, including minimum wage, overtime pay, tips and holiday/vacation pay and meal breaks. The multi-lingual website, available in Chinese, English, Haitian/Creole, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, highlights workers’ rights and links directly to detailed information, including legal information and statutes, on the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) website http://www.mass.gov/ago. , A print advertisement highlighting some of these rights will appear in English and foreign language newspapers across the state, as will a series of radio ads in both English and other languages on radio stations statewide over the next six weeks. Both the print and radio ads direct workers to http://www.MassWorkRights.com for more detailed information. Copies of the newspaper advertisements can be viewed here.

In addition to the public awareness campaign, the AGO has also recently released several publications designed to provide education to workers on the laws and their rights:

Guide to Workplace Rights and Responsibilities – This pamphlet, now available in English and eight other languages, is a quick reference that provides Massachusetts residents with an overview of the laws. The pamphlet also provides information on how to contact the AGO to file a complaint, as well as other local resources. Click here to view PDFs of the various translations.

Massachusetts Wage & Hour Laws Poster – Each year, the AGO produces a poster for display in workplaces. The poster, also available in Spanish, details the state’s Wage & Hour laws and also provides information on how to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office. Click here to view the poster in English, or here for Spanish.

Guide for Working Teens – The AGO also enforces the state’s Child Labor Laws. Generally, the work of minors is restricted with respect to three main areas: minimum age, hours, and occupations. The AGO and the Department of Public Health (DPH) collaborated on producing a Guide for Working Teens, designed to help teenagers and their parents familiarize themselves with these laws. Click here to view the guide.

The Attorney Generals’ Fair Labor Division works to protect employees from exploitation by employers; prosecutes employers who fail to follow the Commonwealth's Wage and Hour laws; and works to ensure a level playing field for legitimate businesses within the Commonwealth. The office is responsible for enforcing the prevailing wage, minimum wage, payment of wages, overtime, tip pooling, child labor, and Sunday and holiday premium pay laws.

Workers or employers who have questions about their rights or responsibilities under Massachusetts law at the workplace or who feel that their rights may have been violated, are encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465.