From Michael's Desk
As an attorney who has been representing immigrant workers for many decades, I am deeply distressed about recent news reports that ICE agents are stalking immigrants in and around our courts. These reports have sent a palpable chill through Oregon’s immigrant communities. This news should be equally chilling to lawyers, court workers, and anyone else who cares about due process and the rule of law.
To begin with, if a person is summoned to appear in court, but his or her compliance will result in deportation, it is predictable that many will not comply. This will inevitably lead to the breakdown of orderly criminal justice, probation, juvenile and domestic relations systems.
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Advocacy Day to Fight Wage Theft 2017
On Monday, February 13th, NWJP and the Coalition to Stop Wage Theft headed to Salem to advocate about the problem of wage theft. About 50 of us spent the day meeting with legislators to offer first-hand stories of wage theft, and explain how our legislative package will help fight this growing problem. Small groups of workers and allies conducted 35 separate meetings with State Representatives and State Senators!
On the same day, the House Committee on Business and Labor held a hearing on three of the bills the Coalition to Stop Wage Theft is working to pass this year. Workers gave powerful testimony, including a story where a worker was retaliated against for complaining about illegal workplace conditions. Another worker testified about finally winning a judgment after many years in court, only to find out the employer had transferred all its assets to a different name. We are pleased the bills received a hearing early in the legislative session, but it will take hard work to get them passed. Please sign the Pledge to Stop Wage Theft on our website if you have not already.
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NWJP Helps Launch Nationwide Immigration Working Group of Worker Advocates
NWJP coordinates the Low Wage Worker Legal Network (LWWLN), which brings together low-wage worker advocates from legal organizations across the country to collaborate on how to better protect low-wage immigrant and temporary workers in the U.S. Since it was formed in 2004, the Network has grown to include 449 legal advocates in 34 states, the District of Columbia and Mexico. Two primary goals of the LWWLN are to facilitate joint training resources and to spark coordinated litigation and policy advocacy on low wage workers’ rights through organizing working groups of interested advocates.
In response to the Trump Administration’s new immigration priorities, the Network has launched a working group directed at focusing primarily employment-oriented programs on responding to the crisis of enhanced immigration enforcement in our communities.
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Fighting Wage Theft in Construction
Tomas and Matthew* worked for a small construction labor sub-contractor, who hired them to perform manual labor on a general contractor’s projects. They did mostly residential remodeling projects, some small, some big, throughout the Portland metro area. At first, they got paid, but then the checks started bouncing and the labor contractor began to avoid them until, in the end, they were left unpaid for months of work.
Wage theft is particularly rampant in construction. It is consistently one of the biggest problem industries in Oregon. One of the reasons for this is that some building contractors use middle men, often called labor brokers, to supply workers. And too many labor brokers steal wages, misclassify workers as independent contractors, and then disappear or run out of money before they can be held accountable.
That’s why NWJP and the Coalition to Stop Wage Theft in Oregon worked so hard to pass HB 2977.
Fifth Annual Celebration of Worker Justice Details Coming Soon!
We are very close to confirming the date and speaker for our big event later this Spring. Stay tuned for the announcement!
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