Federal labor laws exclude farmworkers from overtime pay and other protections. After years of advocacy by farm labor groups, lawmakers in Oregon, Washington and Colorado are working to change that. Oregon state Rep. Ricki Ruiz grew up the son of two farmworkers, and he remembers his family’s struggles vividly. “We almost faced eviction five times because …
For Farmworkers, the Fight for the 8-Hour Day Isn’t Over Read More »
Managing a global workforce has always invited complexity. The past several years, however, underscore how important it is to have transparent tracking and a team that can communicate clearly to everyone involved. Visa processing and case management must be handled in a way that ensures stability for the employee and for the organization. Indeed, the visas themselves are …
Has the New Pace of Visa Management Changed HR Forever? Read More »
On August 7 the poultry towns of central Mississippi suffered the largest workplace raid in the U.S. since 2006. Some 680 chicken-processing workers from seven factories were detained and incarcerated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Ten percent of the population in Morton, Mississippi, was either incarcerated or fired. Parents were detained the same day …
After Largest Workplace Raid in a Decade, Immigrant Workers Are Organizing Read More »
ABOUT 60 MEMBERS of ICE Out of LA faced off with a handful of Trump supporters outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters July 23. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) abolitionist group was there to confront County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, accused of transferring immigrants into federal custody. The Trump fans were there to troll. “We tell McDonnell to …
Below the Surface of ICE: The Corporations Profiting From Immigrant Detention Read More »
Employers in New York state could face a penalty of up to three months in prison and a $20,000 dollar fine if they make threats regarding a person’s immigration status, under a new bill proposed by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James. Undocumented workers face unique challenges in the workplace when it comes to …
New York bill would jail employers for discriminating over immigration status Read More »
Undocumented immigrant workers are some of the most vulnerable in the U.S., with employers all too often targeting them for abuse, paying them less than the law requires, and basically using ICE to put down worker organizing efforts. But California, which has the highest proportion of undocumented immigrant workers of any state, is leading the way in protecting them …
California laws protect undocumented workers from abuse by the boss Read More »
The New York City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a safety bill that establishes safety protocols as a way to prevent construction worker deaths, following eight months of intensive review by lawmakers, day laborers, unions, real estate developers, and contractors. The vote came nearly one week after two construction workers fell to their …
Construction job sites: the silent killer of immigrant workers Read More »
This morning Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration will “wind down,” and in six months, end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a Department of Homeland Security initiative put in place in 2012 that temporarily deferred the deportation of approximately 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. DACA has …
Last month, California Labor Commissioner Julie Su distributed a memo instructing her staff to turn away any Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who show up at labor offices without a federal warrant. This action came in response to three recent cases in which ICE sought workers’ information shortly after they filed claims against their …
Why Defending Workers’ Rights Means Fighting ICE’s Deportation Machine Read More »
A primary goal of the labor movement is to make every job in our country a good job. To do that, we must and we will stand with every worker in the fight for basic rights and dignity on the job. More than 1 million working people are in danger of having their work permits …
In Their Own Words: Why Immigrant Worker Protections Must Be Extended Read More »
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
