L&I Industrial Relations Agent 2 (Spanish Bilingual)

State of Washington; Lacey (WA); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

5% bilingual pay increase

Telework options

Flexible work schedules

Generous retirement package

Job summary

State of Washington invites applications for an Industrial Relations Agent 2 to investigate routine prevailing wage complaints and enforce wage laws on Public Works projects. The position requires bilingual English/Spanish abilities and will provide interpretation services for Spanish-speaking customers.

Responsibilities include reviewing contracts, payroll audits, and resolution communications between employers and workers.

Qualifications

• Combined total of five years of education and/or experience in labor/employment relations and regulations.
• Ability to read, write and communicate in both English and Spanish; bilingual exam may be required.
• Knowledge of wage laws and related regulations is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Communicate with employer and employee via phone, email, in person, and letters to resolve prevailing wage disputes.
• Determine validity in prevailing wage complaints by applying relevant rules and regulations.
• Review contracts between public agencies, contractors, and subcontractors; review payroll records for unlawful wage payments.
• File liens with public agencies and negotiate restitution of wages.
• Recommend Notices of Violation and assist with enforcement actions.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Bachelor’s Degree (Labor Relations)

Associate’s Degree

Job description

Our Mission: Keep Washington Safe and Working! Our Values: Customer Focus, One L&I, Respect, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Learning and Growth, Reliability

When hired as bilingual, our top applicant will be required to pass an assessment of your ability to write and speak Spanish fluently. We do not use translating software. Employees with bilingual responsibilities receive a 5% increase in pay.

Industrial Relations Agent 2

Job Highlights

Keep Washington safe and working as an Industrial Relations Agent 2. In this role, you’ll investigate routine prevailing wage complaints and violations of prevailing wage laws on Public Works projects in accordance with RCW 39.04: Public Works and RCW 39.12: prevailing Wages on Public Works and Chapter 296-127 WAC: Prevailing Wage, under the Fraud Prevention and Labor Standard Division, Prevailing Wage Program. This position is bilingual and will provide verbal and written interpretation and translation services for Spanish speaking customers.

Some of what you’ll do

• Communication with employer and employee via phone, email, in person, and
• letters to resolve prevailing wage disputes;
• Determination of validity in prevailing wage complaints by applying rules and regulations promulgated under the Public Works statutes
• Review contracts between public agencies, contractors, and subcontractors
• Review and audit of payroll records to determine unlawful payment of wages
• File liens with public agencies
• Negotiate restitution of wages
• Recommend Notices of Violation

Required

• A combined total of five (5) years of education and/or experience, to be used in any combination of education, and/or experience. For example:
  • A total of 5 years’ experience in labor/employment relations and regulations
  • A Bachelor’s Degree, and 1 year experience in labor/employment relations and regulations
  • An Associate’s Degree and 3 years’ experience in labor/employment relations and regulations
• The ability to read, write and communicate in both English and Spanish. Our top candidate will be required to pass a bilingual exam.

Required Equity Competencies

• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Desired

Knowledge of:

• Laws governing all phases of labor relations, general policies, principles and practices of labor and management
• State wage laws and related federal laws and regulations
• Contracts and related labor relations; ability to apply such knowledge to mediation, arbitration and resolution
• Principles, standards and techniques of personal investigations
• Rules of evidence, auditing, accounting and bookkeeping procedures

Ability to:

• Interpret complex laws, rules and regulations
• Analyze issues involving wage disputes and formulate suggestions for compromise and settlement of disputes
• Prepare written documents
• Organize facts, arguments and conclusions in clear and logical sequence
• Gather, preserve and present material, relevant and pertinent evidence
• Exercise mature judgment in wide variety of public contact
• Travel infrequently, possibly for extended periods

Things You Need To Know

To help you maintain a proper work-life balance, teleworking is one of the work schedule options for this position. L&I also offers flexible custom work schedules.

State employees who meet the qualifications will become eligible for a generous retirement package at the end of the employee’s career.

For this position

telework is permitted full time. The assigned duty station for this position is Tumwater or any office in Washington with the exception of King County.

For positions where in-office work is necessary, the frequency of telework will be discussed with the supervisor of the position at the time of offer.

Background Check Notice

Prior to a placement in this position, a background check, including criminal history record will be conducted. Information from your background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining your eligibility to perform the requirements of the position.

Other information

• For positions requiring travel, you must have a valid unrestricted driver's license and have insurance if driving a privately owned vehicle on state business.
• This position is represented bytheWashington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).
• Candidates who are offered a job with L&I must possess work authorization that does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa now or in the future.
• The Department of Labor & Industries complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements of the federal employment eligibility verification form, I-9. The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States consistent with the requirements of that form on the first day of employment.
• Please note: L&I may use this announcement to fill multiple permanent and/or non-permanent positions.
• Applicants selected to move forward in the hiring process will be contacted by email to schedule a skills assessment. Assessments are proctored remotely via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer

L&I employees come from all walks of life. We strive to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

We believe in the importance of recognizing the value each of us contribute to the success of the agency mission. Having a diverse workforce is this agency’s greatest resource of strength and knowledge. It is through the combination of talents and abilities that we can pursue finding effective measures to provide the best customer service.We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone and we strongly mean everyone.

The State of Washington is an equal opportunity employer. Persons with a disability who need accommodation in the application process or testing process, or those needing this announcement in an alternative format, may call 360-902-5700. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our award-winning diverse and inclusive organization.

For more Information

If you have any questions regarding this job posting, program, or the agency, please contact Haleigh Missildine (she/her/hers).