L&I Industrial Relations Agent 2

State of Washington•Thurston County – Tumwater, WA

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

Our Mission: Keep Washington Safe and Working! Our Values: Customer Focus, One L&I, Respect, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Learning and Growth, Reliability. As an Industrial Relations Agent (IRA) for L&I’s Employment Standards Program, you will have a direct impact in fulfilling the “Working” component of the agency’s Mission. In this role, you’ll preserve worker rights by investigating wage complaints as well as assist employers in fulfilling their statutory obligations.

Requirements

A combination of education and experience totaling 4 years
4 years of experience in labor/employment relations and regulations OR A relevant Bachelor’s Degree and one year of experience in labor/employment relations and regulations OR A relevant Associate's Degree and two years of experience in labor/employment relations and regulations
Working with Wage Payment Act (WAC 49.48) and other labor laws
Experience in labor/employment relations and regulations
Explanation, interpretation, understanding and enforcement of rules and regulations pertaining to RCWs, and WACs.
Investigating complaints of misconduct (criminal or civil)
Collection of revenue/taxes from employers/businesses
Audit of employer financial records
The ability to take action to learn and grow.
The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Nice To Haves

Experience exercising judgement, and in conjunction with above cited statutes and WAC rules, applying and enforcing relevant administrative law and agency policies.
Experience working with labor relations, general policies, principles and practices of labor, and management state wage and hour laws and regulations; contracts; ability to apply such knowledge in mediation, arbitration, and resolution principles; standards and techniques of personnel investigations; rules of evidence; auditing; accounting and bookkeeping procedures.
Experience preparing written documents; organizing facts, arguments and conclusions in clear and logical sequence.
Experience interpreting complex laws, rules and regulation; analyzing issues involving wage disputes; prepare written documents; organize facts; arguments and conclusions in clear and logical sequence; gather, preserve and present material; relevant and pertinent evidence; exercise judgement in a wide variety of public contact.
Public Sector experience explaining RCWs and WACs for Employment Standards laws.
Working with applications or systems such as Outlook, Excel, Word, CATS, LINIIS, and BEAR

Responsibilities

Communication with employers and employees via phone, email, in person, and letters to resolve wage disputes.
Determine validity of wage complaints by applying regulations promulgated under the appropriate statutes and rules: RCW 49.12; 49.46; and 49.48 as well as WAC’s 296-125; 296-126; and 296-128.
Review and audit of payroll records to determine unlawful payment of wages.
Negotiating for restitution of wages, mediating settlement or compromise proposals that both parties might find acceptable.
Unless otherwise resolved, recommend Citation and Notice of Assessment (NOA) or Determinations of Compliance (DOC).
Follow the standard work process as set out by the Employment Standards Program and the Operations Manual.
Communication with employers and employees via phone, email, in person, and letters to resolve disputes.
Request and review records to determine whether violations have occurred.
Compile investigation case files and recommend determinations per Standard Work and Operations Manual.
Fulfill the IRA 2 role during the Wage Payment Act (WPA) appeal process for NOA’s & DOC’s and other violations such as child labor notices of violation or agricultural civil infractions.
Providing educational information to customer questions on wage and hour requirements and processes.