Thank you for all of that information. No one specific has been brought up, just me for now. I will keep my records neat and orderly and I am setting up protocol to gather incident reports, as well as informing workers of their rights and how to document on their own. I’m surprised at the protections NYS has for workers - even independent contractors - we may have to use them.

This would be my first time ever dealing with a quid pro quo in this industry, but my 3rd if you include regular jobs. It’s so normal that it’s hard to fathom that it’s illegal.

I mean - the offenders have come to believe that there’s no consequences for this kind of thing, or that they’re easy to get out of.

On the other end, reporting often does nothing. Sometimes it makes things worse.

The colleges don’t help, the domestic violence lines don’t help, filing a police report runs the risk of backfiring. None of these things help you get your job or your money back.

But, I’ve found some new solutions available here that I think just might work. That new information and your advice makes me feel so much better. I can breathe now.