Where You Can Find Help

If you have a legal problem or question, and you are low-income, the following organizations may be able to help:

Community Legal Services (CLS)
1424 Chestnut St. Philadelphia • 215-981-3700 
walk in: Mon.-Fri. 9AM-12 PM

CLS handles employment, housing, welfare, health care and other problems. Interpretation services into many languages are available, but please call in advance if possible.

Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA)
1424 Chestnut St. Philadelphia • 215-981-3800
walk in: Mon. & Wed. 9AM-11:30 AM
phone in: Tues. & Thurs. 9:30AM-12 PM 

PLA handles unemployment compensation, medical assistance, custody, bankruptcy and other problems. Interpretation services are available, but please call in advance if possible. PLA cannot help undocumented immigrants. 

Friends of Farmworkers (FOF)
924 Cherry St., 4th floor Philadelphia 
• 215-733-0878 or 800-729-1607
phone in: Mon.-Fri. 10:30AM-5 PM

FOF handles employment issues mostly for people who work in agricultural, food processing and landscaping jobs. FOF handles minimum wage and wage payment problems, unsafe or unhealthy work conditions, and discrimination based on immigration status, race or sex. Spanish interpretation services are available. Interpretation services are also available for other languages, but please call in advance if possible.

Other Legal Services Programs

For information about other legal services programs in Pennsylvania go to:  http://www.palegalservices.org/links.htm

For information about legal services programs in New Jersey go to: http://www.lsnj.org/directory.htm

Private Employment Law Attorneys 

The National Employment Lawyers Association has a referral network of private employment law attorneys if you do not quailfy for free legal services programs. 

The Philadelphia Bar Association's Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) can also refer you to private attorneys with appropriate legal expertise.

If you need to find a private immigration lawyer:

American Immigration Lawyers Association
Lawyer Referral Service
Telephone: 1-202-216-2438

If you cannot afford a private immigration lawyer because you are unemployed or have limited income, contact: 

HIAS and Council Migration Service 
2100 Arch Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 832-0900
Fax: (215) 832-0919

Nationalities Service Center 
1300 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 893-8400
Fax: (215) 735-9718

Catholic Social Services 
Holy Family Center
227 North 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 854-7019
Fax: (215) 854-7020

Lutheran Children and Family Service 
231 N. 63rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19139
Phone: (215) 747-7500
Fax: (215) 747-7707

PRIME- Ecumenical Commitment to Refugees
360 North Oak Ave.
Clifton Heights, PA 19018
Phone: (610) 259-4500
Fax: (610) 259-4515 

Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC)
3214 East Market Street, #5
York, PA 17402
Phone: (717) 600-8099
Fax: (717) 600-8044 

The Immigration and Naturalization Services maintains a national list of organizations that have agreed to provide free or low cost assistance in immigration matters.

For a local listing of other immigration resources go to: http://www.hiaspa.org/resources.html

Making Wage Complaints

Complaints about unpaid wages in Pennsylvania may be made:

· through a lawyer, or 

· to the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, or 

· the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Labor Law Compliance

United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
 

Philadelphia District Office US Dept. of Labor ESA Wage & Hour Division US Custom House, Room 350 Second & Chestnut Streets Philadelphia, PA 19106	Phone: (215) 597-4950 Fax: (215) 597-4949	Stewart Bostic District Director
Pittsburgh District Office US Dept. of Labor ESA Wage & Hour Division Federal Building 1000 Liberty Ave., Room 313 Pittsburgh, PA 15222	Phone: (412) 395-4996 Fax: (412) 395-5772	Richard L. Clougherty District Director
Wilkes Barre District Office US Dept. of Labor ESA Wage & Hour Division 7 North Wilkes Barre Blvd. Stegmaier Bldg. Suite 373M Wilkes Barre, PA 18702-5284	Phone: (570) 826-6316 Fax: (570) 821-4186	Joseph Dietrick District Director

Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry

Bureau Of Labor Law Compliance

Addresses:

Harrisburg

1301 Labor & Industry Building
Seventh & Forster Streets
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0019
(717) 787-4671 or 1-800-932-0665

Fax:  (717) 787-0517

Pittsburgh

1201 State Office Building
300 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-1210
(412) 565-5300 or 1-877-504-8354

Altoona: 1-877-792-8198

Philadelphia

1103 State Office Building
1400 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130-4064
(215) 560-1858

Scranton

201-B State Office Building
100 Lackawanna Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503-1923
(570) 963-4577 or 1-877-214-3962

Unemployment Insurance Claims

For information on Unemployment Insurance Claims click here.