About the Workers Rights Curriculum

The information in this curriculum is mostly based on the book Your Rights on the Job, by Robert Schwartz. We highly recommend this book to anyone teaching workers rights in Massachusetts. The 5th (newest) edition is available from The Labor Guild of Boston [1]  (781.340.7887). Since many laws have changed since the last edition of Your Rights on the Job, we have made modifications based on information gathered from the Mass.gov [2] website.

Go to curriculum downloads

Updates

All materials in this curriculum were reviewed in September 2015, and updated as necessary, so information regarding laws, enforcement agencies and so forth are current as of that date.

Most Modules and materials were further updated in 2017 and 2019.

New Massachusetts laws and updates to Minimum wage were added in 2020 and 2021

Portuguese translations were finished in 2021

Updates to reflect 2023 Massachusetts minimum wage were uploaded December 31, 2022

 

Materials in Spanish and Portuguese

Spanish and Portuguese language versions are available for all modules, and have been updated at the same time as the Engish versions. The facilitators' outlines have not been translated, but all materials for the participants as well as the flipcharts, are available. Spanish language materials, titled "DL: Módulo X" (Derechos Laborales: Module X) will be placed directly below the equivalent English modules in the download chart at the bottom of the page. The Portuguese materials are titled "DT: Módulo X" (Direitos Trabalhistas...) and are placed below the equivalent Spanish modules-- except that Portuguese Modules 8 and 9 are at the beginning of the list due to a software glitch.
 

Workers Rights for ESOL and ABE Learners

Recent immigrants to this country are among the people who could gain most from classes on workers rights. Since our curriculum is aimed at people with some literacy in English, we encourage teachers of ESOL or ABE to adapt the curriculum as needed for use with people with limited English proficiency.

The Mass. Worker Education Roundtable has developed ESOL curricula for three of our modules, the introductory class, the one on discrimination, and the one on workplace health and safety.

These curricula are available for download here [3].

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"The Boss Can't Do That, Can He?" details of downloads

Each Module includes:

• Facilitator’s notes
• Participants’ outline
• Handouts, answer sheets and other materials
• Diagrams of flipcharts needed for the module

Some documents which are used in more than one Module are to be found in the Appendices. These are noted below

General Pages (August '14)

• Opening Materials (Includes: Cover, Authors and Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, Facilitator's Introduction and LEP contact info)

Module One: Introduction to Workers' Basic Legal Protections on the Job (updated 2020.)

• Module 1: (everything needed to teach this module except the Law Cards and the items in the Appendices.)

• Law Cards
• Pictures for Activity 1 are in the Appendices. (Use pictures 1, 3 or 4, 5, 11, 14, 16 or 17, 18 or 19 and 21.)
• Other handouts in the Appendices: "Partial list of Advocacy Organizations", and "Your RIghts on the Job in Massachusetts"

Module Two: Beginning Employment: Your Pay and Your Paycheck (updated 2021.)

• Module 2: (everything needed to teach this module except "In Brief" section the Appendices.)
• "In Brief" handouts in the Appendices
   

Module Three: Rights of Workers Under Eighteen (updated 2020.)

• Module 3: (everything needed to teach this module except "In Brief" section the Appendices.)
• "In Brief" handouts in the Appendices

• Note: If you are teaching this module, you might want to also make available copies of the Attorney General's "Guide for Working Teens", which can be downloaded from her website. Click here [5].

Module Four: Overtime (updated Septmber 2021.)

• Module 4: (everything needed to teach this module except "In Brief" section the Appendices.)
• "Overtime In Brief" is in the Appendices

Module Five: Protection from Discrimination (updated 2019.)

• Module 5: (everything needed to teach this module except "In Brief" section the Appendices.)
• "Mass Fair Employment Practices Act and Title VII In Brief" is in the Appendices

Module Six: Health and Safety Protection and Workers' Compensation (updated October 2019.)

• Module 6: (everything needed to teach this module except "In Brief" section the Appendices.)
• Pictures for Activity 3 are in the Appendices. (Use pictures 1, 3 & 6.)
• "In Brief" handouts in the Appendices

Module Seven: Family and Medical Leave (updated September, 2021)
This unit includes the FMLA,  the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act and the Massechusetts Small Necessities Leave Act

• Module 7: (everything needed to teach this module except "In Brief" section the Appendices.)
• Family and Medical Leave Act In Brief" in the Appendices

Module Eight: Unemployment Insurance (revised 10/'21.)

• Module 8: (everything needed to teach this module except "In Brief" section the Appendices.)
• "The Mass. Unemployment Insurance System In Brief" in the Appendices

Module Nine: Unions and the Right to Organize (revised 10/'21)

• Module 9: (everything needed to teach this module except "In Brief" section the Appendices.)
• "In Brief" handouts in the Appendices

Module Ten:Temp Agency Workers and Day Laborers (revised Janary 2020.)

• Module 10: (everything needed to teach this module.)

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Appendices

1. Pictures: To avoid enormous files, the pictures used in this curriculum have been divided into 3 documents for downloading:

• Group 1: Pictures 1 - 7
• Group 2: Pictures 8-14
• Group 3: Pictures 15-22

Group 1: Pictures 1 - 7     1. Slip     2. Hazardous Waste     3. Safety Net     4. Dropped Wrench     5. Help Wanted     6. Big Brother     7. Sick
Group 2: Pictures 8-14     8. Vacation     9. Schedule   10. Paycheck   11. Overtime   12. Plant Closing   13. Retirement   14. Disability
Group 3: Pictures 15-22   15. Pregnant worker   16. Multitasking   17. Time Issues   18. Terminated   19. You're fired!   20. Signs: (fill in the issue)   21. Petition: (fill in the buttons)   22. Contract vs. employee handbook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. "In Brief" sections from Schwartz, Your Rights on the Job (all chapters) and other sources for newer laws (revised 2/'21)

3. Where to go for help

• Government agencies (revised 10/'21)
• Partial list of advocacy organizations (revised 10/'21)

4. Information for immigrant workers

• Chart: Legal Rights of Undocumented Workers
• Safe and unsafe agencies for immigrant workers (revised 5/'09)

5. Warm-up for multi-module session

 

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