Knowing Your Rights: Workplace Rights Week Puts Minnesota Workers in the Driver’s Seat Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry week offers workers and employers opportunities to learn about workplace protections, responsibilities and resources

Knowing your rights at work is one thing but knowing where to turn when you have questions — or when something does not seem right — can make all the difference.

That is the goal behind Minnesota’s third annual Workplace Rights Week, taking place Sept. 13-19. Hosted by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), the week provides workers and employers across the state with opportunities to learn more about workplace rights, responsibilities and the resources available to them.

DLI describes the week as an opportunity to educate both workers and employers and empower Minnesotans to assert their rights. The agency will host a series of free webinars and public events during and after the week, covering topics ranging from basic worker protections to workplace safety, harassment and discrimination and employment law.

For workers, the information can be especially valuable as Minnesota’s workplace laws continue to evolve.

“Workplace Rights Week is a great chance for us to get out into communities we serve across the State to engage face-to-face with both workers and employers,” Miguel Lindgren, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Labor Standards Investigator and MAPE Local 101 member said. “Building those personal connections helps us establish real trust as the workplace continues to change. It gives folks an easy, open setting to ask questions about current standards like Earned Sick and Safe Time, minimum wage laws, rest and meal break statutes, and to ask questions about more complicated topics such as Paid Family and Medical Leave.”

Workplace rights only have power when people know they exist. Minnesota workers have protections governing wages, breaks, sick and safe time, workplace safety, discrimination, retaliation and more. Yet understanding what those protections mean in practice — and knowing when a workplace practice may violate the law — is not always straightforward. That is why education is such an important part of Workplace Rights Week.

“Education leads to compliance,” Lindgren said. “When workers understand their protections and employers clearly grasp their obligations, it prevents wage theft, minimizes workplace issues, and resolves misunderstandings before they escalate. An informed workforce and compliant employers ensure Minnesota remains a great place in which to live and work.”

The week also provides an opportunity for employers to better understand their responsibilities. When both sides know what the law requires, workers are better positioned to speak up and employers have a clearer path toward creating workplaces that are safe, fair and compliant.

DLI Commissioner Kate Perushek recently emphasized the importance of that education in an article published by the Union Advocate, noting that laws alone do not change lives unless people understand what those rights mean, how to use them and where to turn for help.

That philosophy is reflected in the department’s approach to Workplace Rights Week: Meet people where they are, answer questions and make information about workplace protections easier to access.

The week is not limited to one workplace or one type of worker. DLI's 2026 schedule includes a Worker Rights and Responsibilities webinar on Sept. 14, a construction seminar on Sept. 15, illegal harassment and discrimination training for apprentices on Sept. 17 and a Spanish-language webinar, “Conozca sus derechos laborales: Lo que toda persona trabajadora debe saber,” also on Sept. 17. The department will also host public forums for the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board in Rochester, Brainerd and St. Paul.

Additional webinars and training sessions will continue after Workplace Rights Week, including sessions on workplace rights, OSHA recordkeeping and employment law basics for small businesses. The variety of events reflects an important reality: Workplace rights affect virtually everyone who participates in Minnesota's workforce.

Whether someone is starting an apprenticeship, working in construction, caring for nursing home residents, running a small business or simply trying to understand their rights as an employee, having access to accurate information can help prevent problems before they begin.

“Workplace Rights Week is important for DLI because it helps raise awareness about the laws, protections and resources available to Minnesota workers,” Des Culpitt, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Apprenticeship Grant Specialist Coordinator and MAPE Local 101 member said. “It’s an opportunity for us to connect directly with the public, reinforce our mission and ensure people know how to access support when they need it. When people understand their rights, they’re better equipped to advocate for themselves, identify violations and maintain safe, fair and healthy workplaces.”

The effort has grown since DLI launched the first Workplace Rights Week in 2024. That year, department staff visited more than 1,000 worksites in 29 cities, hosted webinars with community partners and participated in a worksite event with then-Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. In 2025, DLI staff visited 1,470 worksites across Minnesota, hosted mobile clinics and partnered with 13 community groups, chambers of commerce, CareerForce centers and libraries.

This year's events build on that outreach by continuing to bring workplace rights information directly to Minnesotans. For workers, that can mean knowing when earned sick and safe time applies, understanding minimum wage requirements, recognizing workplace safety protections or learning what options are available when a problem arises. And sometimes, it can be as simple as knowing that it is okay to ask a question.

Workplace Rights Week offers Minnesota workers and employers an opportunity to do just that — to learn, ask questions and become better informed about the rights and responsibilities that help make workplaces safer and fairer.

Because a right is most powerful when people know they have it.