 So hello, I'm Kristen Joy and this is your writes at work and our guest today is Colleen Fontana, an educator at the Fair Work Center. Welcome Colleen. Hi, thank you for having me. Well, thank you so much for meeting with me to talk about workers' rights in Washington state. Can you start by telling me a little bit about the Fair Work Center and your job there? Yeah, of course. So the Fair Work Center is a nonprofit in Washington. We have an office in Seattle and one in Yakima and we're focused on really building power for workers through labor rights education, enforcement and organizing. So today is our last episode of your writes at work and our topic is documenting and solving workplace problems. And so we have learned about many great laws that protect workers. But we also know that despite these laws, many people, especially immigrants, still have poor working conditions. So Colleen, why don't more workers speak up about their rights and problems at work? That's a really good question. There truly are several barriers. I think a basic reason is a lot of people don't know what laws apply to them or don't believe that they have the protections that they hear about. And then even once people hear about these new protections, there's a lot of fear to speak up because of retaliation. You might think you will lose your job. Many people do lose their jobs when they speak up. People experience discrimination at work or harassment for speaking up. A lot of fear around different immigration issues or if your immigration status is mixed or you are here undocumented, then there's a lot of fear to speak up. Additionally, there are language barriers that can make it really hard to talk to your boss. So you mentioned retaliation and as a base building educator, I'm sure that you talked to workers who have been retaliated against. Maybe they've lost their jobs. Is that legal for an employer to retaliate against someone? It is illegal. So no, it's not legal to be retaliated against. You have protections against that regardless of your immigration status. In our first episode of your rights at work, we interviewed Muhammad, a former baggage handler at SeaTac. And he said he was the person who was willing to speak up. He was willing to take the risk. So once someone like Muhammad is ready to speak up or take action, what are some good first steps? Yeah. So one thing is to really just think about what it is that you're hoping to see from the situation. What are your goals and is it happening to anybody else? I think the main first step would really to be to talk to your coworkers, see if this issue is happening to multiple people, because it probably is. You're probably not the only one experiencing this. But if you have other people with you, you will have a stronger case and you'll be more protected. And you also will be probably able to cause bigger change in your workplace. Again, thinking back to our first episode and Muhammad's situation, he told us that he took pictures of the dirty break room. And he also photographed fellow Muslim workers praying in a parking lot, putting their safety at risk. In general, is it a good idea to document problems or gather evidence to show that your employer is breaking the law? And what are some ways to document a violation of your rights? Yes, that is super, super helpful. That was a really good instinct of Muhammad's to take pictures and just show exactly what was happening. There's a lot of things that can be considered for proof of what's going on. But pictures as one example, also your pay stubs or time cards, if you work in a place where you clock in and out, or maybe on a computer, maybe on your phone, some places use apps, all of that. Those different systems could help if you need to prove, yes, I was working or look, this is how many hours I worked over time or I didn't get my break and you can see it on the schedule. But other things too that maybe feel less official, you know, even just text messages with your boss, I have talked to some people who work in homes where they don't have electronic systems, you know, as a house cleaner maybe so they text a lot with their boss and we were able to show in the text messages. Yes, I arrived at this time or there were questions about the work that was being done. And also just even your own calendars or notes that you're taking about work. And even if you don't have any of that, your own testimony is proof. What are some options that workers in Washington State have to report or to try to solve a problem at work? Yes, so one option of course is you can call us. There are several organizations, community organizations in Washington that are supporting workers in understanding their rights. We can also support you in how to connect with your coworkers that might be even intimidating to do as well. And then also through other kinds of enforcement, you know, maybe you don't feel ready to file with an agency which I'll talk in a second about who you could file with but maybe you're not ready for that. Maybe you want to just some help in calling your boss, right? Maybe there's a language barrier or you want help just writing down your issues on a letter that you want to share with your boss. Things like that. And then there are some agencies both at the city and the state level. So in Seattle we have the Seattle Office of Labor Standards. And that is for any of the protections that are within the city of Seattle. And then if you are working outside of Seattle, then we have labor and industries, which is a state agency, and you can also file wage theft claims with them. Excellent information. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us about documenting and solving workplace problems? Yeah, I think just the last thing is that you have three years to file a complaint. Really you coming forward could change the environment and the impact for so many other people and you're really not alone in this. So we're here to support you and that's what I want to leave you with. Oh, thank you so much, Colleen Fontana, educator and organizer at the Fair Work Center. I just wanted to say goodbye. I feel a little sad that this is our last episode, but I hope you feel stronger. You have the information and the inspiration you need to talk to your coworkers, educate others and stand up for your rights at work.