yli's blog

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007

On July 31, the House passed the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007. However, it still needs to pass the Senate and escape the President’s veto before the bill becomes law. The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is a direct response to the decision of a Supreme Court case of last year. The verdict of Ledbetter v. Goodyear allotted only 180 days for employees to file complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if they believe that they have been paid less on the account of their sex, race, religion, or nationality. The bill would eliminate the time restriction and allow for up to two years of back pay if the allegations are found to be true. The bill also keeps in place the Court’s provision of capping damages at $300,000.

Kuwait has deported over 100 Bengali workers for instigating labor unrest through demonstrations and protests over low wage, bad working conditions, and exploitation by employers.

UPDATE: Schwarzenegger signed the executive order laying off 10,000 workers and rolling back the pay of 22,000 other workers on August 1. State Controller John Chiang refused to cooperate with the order. Currently, three lawsuits have been filed against the order. Read full article here.
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July 31, 2008

Last week, Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened to sign an executive order to lay-off 22,000 part-time, temporary, and contracted California state employees. In addition, more than 200,000 state employees will be rolled back to $6.55 an hour wages until lawmakers pass the state budget. The order would produce an estimated $100 million a month in savings for the state. The governor issued the threat after lawmakers’ reached an impasse for a budget proposal for the fiscal year, which began in July. After a budget is passed, workers still employed will be reimbursed with their full salaries. But the employees who were fired will still be left without their jobs and money to support their families.

July 25, 2008

Recently, there have been numerous articles posted on this blog citing sweatshop conditions in other countries, such as Bangladesh, India, and China. Unfortunately, the New York State Department of Labor has found comparable workers’ rights violations right here in the local area of Long Island City, Queens, New York, where a manufacturer violated the state’s minimum wage and overtime laws by paying by piece rate, falsified timesheets, refused to pay overtime, and coached employees to lie to investigators (NYS Dept. of Labor). Jin Shun and Venture 47, and even more recently, Garlee NY Incorporated are all names of one garment contractor located at 47-51 33rd Street. The factory changed its name several times to try to elude investigation (NYT).

Sesame Street’s “Ernie Building Set” was released on July 15 in the United States and Europe, a product assembled in a sweatshop factory in Shenzhen, China by young exploited workers.

July 7, 2008

Have you ever wondered how large retail chain stores are able to sell name brand clothes for so cheap? The price may not be as cheap as it seems. Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is to question the quality of the merchandise. However, raw material is not the only resource big companies have skimped on in the name of high profits.

For those who are dependent on tips as part of their income, current economic conditions are not favorable. According to a recent Associated Press article, workers who traditionally depend on tips for much of their income are seeing a 25-30% decrease in individual tips and tip density. “Some people are coming in less and less and maybe not staying as long when they do come in,”

[UPDATED] Judge Robert King Jr. ruled in favor of workers on Monday in the Dakota County District Court of Hastings, Minnesota.

"Wal-Mart broke Minnesota labor law more than 2 million times over six years by forcing some employees to work without breaks and without full pay," costing the retail giant up to $2 billion not counting back wages for the 56,000 employees represented under the Braun v. Wal-Mart suit (Star Tribune).

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So far, there are 80 class-action suits in 41 states against Wal-Mart

June 18, 2008

by Yuan Li

On June 11, the Indian Workers’ Congress ended its 4-week hunger strike against government-sponsored human trafficking, otherwise known as the temporary guest worker program. In the post-Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita reconstruction period, companies in the Gulf Coast used the temporary guest worker program to bring in foreign laborers, such as Signal International, an oil rig repair and construction company. However, five hundred employees recruited from India and the United Arab Emirates in late 2006 and early 2007 were deceived by Signal (The New York Times). In exchange for a $20,000 fee, the recruiters of Signal promised work and permanent resident status in the U.S., neglecting to mention the H2B visas were only temporary, housing conditions were poor, and freedom was lacking (ABC News). In essence, the company took advantage of the workers who were unfamiliar with U.S. immigration laws and forced them into indentured servitude.

 The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company or A&P-owned supermarkets, Pathmark, Waldbaum, and The Food Emporium, is suing the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) for allowing union members to distribute leaflets to customers outside of the supermarkets in New York City and Long Island (United Press International).