Recommendations the Tennessee Worker Justice Network presented and asked the worker rights board members endorse (Nov 5, 2009):
1) At the state level, officials from the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) and the Labor Standards Division of the Tennessee Department of Labor should meet with representatives of the Tennessee Worker Justice Network. The purpose of this meeting would be to begin developing a partnership with worker rights organizations to ensure better enforcement of wage and safety laws. Community organizations have built relationships of trust with workers who are willing to share their experiences of dangerous working conditions and wage theft. A partnership between workers rights organizations and the Tennessee Department of Labor should include targeted investigations of particular industries that have many incidents of wage theft, worker injuries, and worker deaths. The Labor Standards Division and TOSHA should cooperate with each other and with worker rights organizations to identify worksites where both wage theft and safety violations are occurring at the same time.
2) Likewise, at the federal level, officials from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division should meet with the Tennessee Worker Justice Network. The purpose of this meeting would be to begin developing a partnership with worker rights organizations to ensure better enforcement of federal wage and hour laws. This partnership should include targeted investigations of particular industries and employers that have high rates of wage theft. The Wage and Hour Division and TOSHA should cooperate with each other and with worker rights organizations to identify worksites where both wage theft and safety violations are occurring at the same time.
3) The Tennessee General Assembly should pass legislation that amends the Tennessee Wage Regulations Act to provide stronger protection to workers who suffer from retaliation by their employers because they have filed a wage complaint with the Tennessee Department of Labor. Currently, the Department does not believe it has the authority to protect workers from this kind of retaliation. This makes many workers unwilling to file complaints if they still work for an employer who owes them wages, because of the fear of being fired. Tennessee's Equal Pay Act, which prohibits pay discrimination because of gender, explicitly protects workers from retaliation if they make a complaint under that act. The Tennessee Wage Regulations Act should have a similar provision.
1) At the state level, officials from the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) and the Labor Standards Division of the Tennessee Department of Labor should meet with representatives of the Tennessee Worker Justice Network. The purpose of this meeting would be to begin developing a partnership with worker rights organizations to ensure better enforcement of wage and safety laws. Community organizations have built relationships of trust with workers who are willing to share their experiences of dangerous working conditions and wage theft. A partnership between workers rights organizations and the Tennessee Department of Labor should include targeted investigations of particular industries that have many incidents of wage theft, worker injuries, and worker deaths. The Labor Standards Division and TOSHA should cooperate with each other and with worker rights organizations to identify worksites where both wage theft and safety violations are occurring at the same time.
2) Likewise, at the federal level, officials from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division should meet with the Tennessee Worker Justice Network. The purpose of this meeting would be to begin developing a partnership with worker rights organizations to ensure better enforcement of federal wage and hour laws. This partnership should include targeted investigations of particular industries and employers that have high rates of wage theft. The Wage and Hour Division and TOSHA should cooperate with each other and with worker rights organizations to identify worksites where both wage theft and safety violations are occurring at the same time.
3) The Tennessee General Assembly should pass legislation that amends the Tennessee Wage Regulations Act to provide stronger protection to workers who suffer from retaliation by their employers because they have filed a wage complaint with the Tennessee Department of Labor. Currently, the Department does not believe it has the authority to protect workers from this kind of retaliation. This makes many workers unwilling to file complaints if they still work for an employer who owes them wages, because of the fear of being fired. Tennessee's Equal Pay Act, which prohibits pay discrimination because of gender, explicitly protects workers from retaliation if they make a complaint under that act. The Tennessee Wage Regulations Act should have a similar provision.
of East Tennessee