Labor Standards Enforcement Toolkit

Tool 1: Complaints, Intake, and Triage

This brief highlights strategies for conducting and triaging intakes to help efficiently manage and prioritize them.

  • Sample Procedures:  Janice Fine and Tia Koonse's document referenced on page 7 of Tool 1 with further recommendations on intake forms and procedures, as well as model intake questions. 
  • Related webinar:  Intake and Triage Processes  Video  |  Presentation

Tool 2: Investigations

Addressing the nuts and bolts of enforcement, this brief offers strategies for ensuring the biggest impact given an agency’s resources.

Tool 3: Collections

This brief includes strategies for collecting and getting money in workers' pockets once the agency determines they're owed wages.

  • Related webinar:  Strategies for Improved Collections on Wage and Paid Sick Day Judgments and Settlement Agreements  Video  |   Presentation

Tool 4: Introduction To Strategic Enforcement

This brief describes strategic enforcement and offers techniques for prioritizing and directing outreach and enforcement efforts to where the problems are largest, workers are least likely to exercise their legal rights, and agencies can impact industry-wide compliance. 

  • Related webinar: Strategic Enforcement 

Tool 5: Addressing and Preventing Retaliation and Immigration-Based Threats to Workers

This brief provides insights into the types of retaliation workers experience, including the particular threats immigrant workers may face, and gives practical strategies and techniques to prevent and remedy retaliation.

  • Related webinar: Protecting Vulnerable Immigrant Workers Against Retaliation  Video  |  Presentation

Tool 6: Negotiations and Settlement Agreements

This brief will help labor standards enforcement agencies incorporate principles of strategic enforcement into their negotiation and settlement practices to better achieve ongoing compliance. 

  • Related webinar:  Strategies for Improved Collections on Wage and Paid Sick Day Judgments and Settlement Agreements  Video  |   Presentation

Tool 7: Sharing Information with Community Organizations 

This brief will help guide labor standards enforcement agencies and community and worker organizations to establish and maintain strong partnerships in which open and regular information sharing is prioritized.

Tool 8: A Baker's Dozen of Essential Enforcement Powers

This brief summarizes 13 powers that are essential to robust labor standards enforcement, provides examples, and discusses how an agency may obtain powers it does not already possess. 

Tool 9: Assessing and Maximizing Labor Standards Enforcement Powers

This interactive tool supports labor standards enforcement agencies to expand their powers by evaluating which powers they have and use, which powers they may start to maximize, and which powers they may strive to obtain. 

Tool 10: Managing for Strategic Enforcement: A Conceptual Toolkit

Written primarily for agency leaders and managers, this brief examines management principles and real world examples to support an agency's transition to strategic enforcement. 

Tool 11: The Nuts and Bolts of a Retaliation Investigation: Part I

Providing an overall legal and practical framework for retaliation investigations, this brief covers a range of topics including an overview of the basic elements of retaliation, intake strategies, and interviewing essentials. It is the first in a two-part series and a companion brief to Tool 5.

Tool 12: Introduction to Co-Enforcement

This brief provides an overview of co-enforcement and outlines the basic elements that agencies need to consider in order to build strong partnerships with worker organizations. 

Tool 13: The Nuts and Bolts of a Retaliation Investigation: Part 2

Continuing where Tool 11 left off, this brief covers damages and other available retaliation remedies, settlement terms and ways ADR can be used to resolve retaliation claims, as well as a new protocol designed to provide immigration relief to undocumented workers. This is the second brief in a two-part series and a companion to Tool 5. 

Tool 14: Addressing Worker Safety and Health through the Lens of Strategic Enforcement 

Written especially for State Plan states and local worker protection agencies, this brief highlights strategic enforcement strategies in the context of occupational safety and health with the goal of supporting agencies to maximize their effectiveness and better protect workers in the workplace. 

The workplace justice lab@RU is working on additional briefs in the series, which will be made available over the next few months. Bookmark this page and check back for updates to ensure your enforcement toolbox has all the tools you need!