Introduction
For some fifty years, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) has labored to defend the rights of working people, and to address the issues of poverty, racism, and other forms of discrimination. The WLC presents this 2024 edition of the Workers’ Rights Manual. The Workers’ Rights Manual was originally published by the District of Columbia Employment Justice Center. In April 2017, the EJC merged into the Washington Lawyers’ Committee and its efforts on behalf of justice for low-wage workers are now an integral part of the WLC. This manual is an attempt to provide a comprehensive source of legal information about the rights of workers in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area.
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee is very grateful to all those who have contributed to the publication of the various editions of the Workers’ Rights Manual. Below please find a list of individuals who have contributed to the manual since its inception.
Selby Abraham Daniel Abrahams Alison Asarnow John Ates Melissa Bellavia Buckley LLP Bridgette Carey Courtney Chappell Kathleen Claire Denise Clark Pam Coukos · Virginia Diamond Cindy Diggs Michelle Duluc Ellen Eardley Brian East Advocacy Incorporated James Eisenmann Theresa Ellis Mason Emnett Ruth Enriquez Lauren Fleming Tom Gagliardo Tom Gies Jessica Goshow Lisa Guerra Andrew Haas Drake Hagner Marielena Hincapie Jessica Hunt Hanan Idilbi Fred Jacob Margaret Kahn Daniel A. Katz Catherine Kellington Avi Kumin Robert Kurnick Ivy Lange Katie Laskey · Katie Lesmerises Carol Light Andrew Lin Rebecca Lopez Tonya Love Kellie Lunney Sean Marshall Gray Mateo Katherine Mazaheri Eric May Sandra Mazliah Keiera McNett Rebecca Miller Karen Minatelli Laurie Monahan Kate Morrow Zey Nasser Melanie Orhant Patton Boggs LLP Carol Pier Isha Plynton Jonathan Puth Tom Ramstack Jahnavi Ravindranath Richard Renner Marc Rifkind Baldwin Robertson Brenda Robles Michael Robinson Arthur Rogers Kelly Rojas Leyni Rosario Jessica Salsbury Anushka Sarkar Pace Schwarz Amy Shannon Janaki Spickard-Keeler Matthew Teaman Jennifer Tomchin Alexandra Tsiros Doug Tyrka Gabriela Vasquez Brian Vogt Peyton Whitely Ken Williams Women’s Law Center of Maryland Amber Watson Michelle Woolley Justin Zelikovitz
Disclaimer
This manual is intended to provide general information regarding legal rights relating to employment in the Washington metropolitan area. It is not a substitute for legal advice from a lawyer about a specific factual situation. In addition, because laws and procedures frequently change, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee cannot ensure that the information in this manual is current nor be responsible for any use to which it is put. Experienced counsel should be consulted for current legal advice.
For more information about specific employment laws or to provide corrections or information that you believe would be useful for inclusion in this manual, please contact the WLC at (202) 319-1000. You can also visit the Washington Lawyers’ Committee website at www.washlaw.org.