NDLON Press Releases

Latest updates on our news, events & campaigns

“WE ARE NOT DISPOSABLE!”

                                                                               For Immediate Release, September 17, 2012

Contact: Nadia Marin-Molina | nadia@ndlon.org |  (516) 984-5755                                                                          Ligia Guallpa |ligia@workersjustice.org | (646) 479-4769                          

 
                “WE ARE NOT DISPOSABLE!” 

                   Construction workers marking death of Winston Gillett with Vigil, Call for Action

   

Brooklyn, NY – On Monday, September 24, 2012 at 6PM, the Workers Justice Project (WJP) along with other worker centers will gather in front of 227 Carlton Ave. Fort Greene, Brooklyn to strongly condemn dreadful working conditions and labor exploitation in residential construction sites in and around New York City, where low-income men and women are employed. 

Winston Gillett, 62, was crushed to death after a roof collapsed at one of the townhouses. Gillett was working at the Carlton Mews Townhouse project, which was being built by Professional Grade Construction Corp. However, this year many other workers have also died while being crushed under the weight of thousands of pounds of building materials, being buried alive in a trench, or falling to their death from a scaffold with no harness.

In New York City residential construction, these types of incidents are so common that the contractors, building owners and developers, and the city do not pause for breath before ordering workers to climb back on the scaffolds. They all know that low and sometimes no wages, complete disregard for health and safety protections, and treating workers like they are disposable are part of a regular day’s work in residential construction. Meanwhile, residential construction spending increased to $2.9 billion in 2011 and is expected to climb to $4.8 billion in 2012, benefiting immensely from this exploitation.   

Camilo Hernandez, a member of Workers Justice Project (WJP), feels fortunate to have only cut off part of his on his left hand while working on a roof at a home rather than losing his life like Mr. Gillett. “I know how it feels not to have security on the job and being treated as disposable,” he says. “Our safety is a priority and a responsibility of everyone. We must all work together to take action and bring justice.”  

Join us on Monday, September 24, 2012, 6 p.m. to raise our voices against exploitation in residential construction and to ensure that the deaths of Winston Gillette, Santos Garcia, Adrien Zamora, and many other workers in the construction industry result in real protections for workers in the future.

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Letter from ICE Director John Morton to Hate Group, FAIR, Stirs Controversy

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s practices with local police are facing scrutiny this week as the injunction on the racial profiling provision of SB1070 was lifted and section 2b went into effect. ICE had previously rescinded Maricopa County’s 287(g) agreement–which enabled local sheriffs in Arpaio’s office to act as immigration officers–after the Department of Justice exposed…

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President Obama Must Do Everything to Stop Abuse in Arizona as SB1070 Goes into Effect

Day laborers pledge to continue fight against discriminatory law at community level, Look to California for Alternate Direction
 
September 18. Phoenix, AZ.
In response to the lifting of the injunction against section 2b, the racial profiling provision of Arizona’s SB1070, Pablo Alvarado, the director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, issued the following statement,
 
“Laws requiring people to be judged by the color of their skin have no place in the US.  Not today and not ever.  While courts have yet to stop all of SB1070, all of us who believe in human rights and cherished constitutional values have an obligation to do everything we can to ensure that Arizona’s current lawmakers are on the losing side of history.

Los Angeles City Council Votes on TRUST Act

Los Angeles City Council Votes on TRUST Act National Day Laborer Organizing Network Statement CONTACT: Chris Newman, cnewman@ndlon.org LOS ANGELES –The Los Angeles City Council votes on the TRUST Act today following incorrect claims made earlier this week by some sheriffs that the measure conflicts with federal law. Chris Newman, Legal Director of the National…

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Precedent-Setting Ruling in E-FOIA Case

Court Orders FBI, DHS and ICE to Lift “Veil of Secrecy” and Comply With Freedom of Information Act July 13, 2012, New York – Today, in an important victory for open government, Judge Shira A. Scheindlin, of the Southern District of New York, ruled that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland…

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