Immigration

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.

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.

Bath Unlimited, a company that filed a lawsuit against its workers after they made injury claims through the workers' compensation system, received its just desserts when the courts ruled that not only did the workers owe the company nothing, but that the company actually owed the workers $426,000 to settle their compensation claims.

Chicago Workers' Collaborative is assisting workers who were terminated by WinCup without the 60 day notification that is legally required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

On October 10 a federal judge in California ruled to extend the ban on the highly controversial Social Security 'no-match' proposal that is targeting immigrant workers.

Fordham law professor Jennifer Gordon proposes an innovative immigration reform plan based on global labor solidarity. The success of the Workplace Project, which she founded to organize Latino immigrants on Long Island, further offers a compelling model for low-wage worker empowerment. (New York Times)