CALIFORNIA LABOR FEDERATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 12, 2013
CONTACT:
California Legislature Passes Historic Laws Protecting Immigrant Workers from Abusive Employers
New Laws Would Protect Immigrant Workers from Retaliation
Sacramento, CA-- The California State legislature has passed
new protections designed to stop unscrupulous employers from retaliating
against immigrant workers who stand up for their rights. The bills await
signature by Governor Jerry Brown.
The California Labor Federation sponsored a package of three
bills to protect workers regardless of immigration status. AB 263 (Assemblyman
Roger Hernandez) and SB 666 (Senator
Darrell Steinberg) will help enforce basic labor laws by prohibiting employers
from using immigration-related threats when workers speak out about unfair
working conditions. AB 524 (Assemblyman Kevin Mullin) makes it clear that
making immigration threats in order to get away with wage theft may constitute
criminal extortion.
"Employers should be on notice that with these bills,
retaliating against workers who stand up for their basic rights will have
serious consequences," said Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of
the California Labor Federation. "These new protections are vital to
protecting all workers who are afraid to report these abuses. As long as
unscrupulous employers can exploit low-wage immigrant workers with impunity,
all workers suffer."
The extent of the retaliation against immigrant workers was
documented in a recent report by the National Employment Law Project, a
co-sponsor of these bills.
"For too long, employers have used the threat of
deportation to silence workers who are victims of stolen wages, unsafe working
conditions, and abuse on the job," said Eunice Cho, an attorney at the
National Employment Law Project.
"Immigrant workers are more likely to suffer from abuses such as
wage theft and work in low-wage industries. We celebrate the legislature's
support for protecting the rights of some of the most vulnerable workers in the
state."
"These laws will protect workers like me who try to
speak out and then face retaliation," said Gerardo Aguirre, a former
employee at Marquez Brothers, a food manufacturing company, who was one of
several workers fired while standing up for their rights. "The workers at Marquez Brothers are
united in standing up to intimidation, at work and in the State legislature. We
need laws that allow all workers to speak up and protect immigrant workers from
these kinds of abuses."
California has a strong history of protecting the rights of
immigrant workers. In 2002, California passed SB 1818, which clarified that
immigration status is irrelevant for purposes of enforcing state labor and
employment laws.
More than fifty community organizations, representing civil
rights, immigrant rights, and labor rights, are supporting this bill
package. The bills now head to Governor
Jerry Brown, who has until October 13th to sign it into law. "We applaud the State Senate and
Assembly for passing these important bills," said Pulaski. "We urge
Governor Brown to sign this bill and protect the rights of all workers."
The California Labor Federation is made up of more than
1,200 AFL-CIO and Change to Win unions, representing 2.1 million union members
in manufacturing, retail, construction, hospitality, public sector, health
care, entertainment and other industries.
The National Employment Law Project is a non-partisan,
not-for-profit organization that conducts research and advocates on issues affecting
low-wage and unemployed workers. For more about NELP, visit www.nelp.org.
Teamsters Joint Council 7 represents 100,000 working men and
women in 22 local unions in Northern California, the Central Valley, and
Northern Nevada. The Teamsters are the largest
organization of immigrant food chain workers in California, with 25,000 members
in food processing, packaging, harvesting, and distribution.
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