Day Laborers React to Chief Beck’s announcement on SCOMM reforms in wake of TRUST ACT Veto
Day Laborers Denounce Governor Brown’s Veto of TRUST Act, Pledge to Continue Fighting President’s Se Communities Mass Deportation Program
Los Angeles – September 29, 2012.In response to Governor Brown’s veto of the TRUST Act (AB 1081), Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network issued the following statement: “By vetoing the TRUST Act Governor Brown has failed California’s immigrant communities, imperiling civil rights and leaving us all less safe. The President’s…
DetailsRally to Call on Gov. Brown to Protect Civil Rights of Californians and Expand Protections for Long-Excluded Workers
Domestic Workers, Day Laborers, and Supporters Urge Gov. Brown to Sign Two Landmark Bills into Law
Los Angeles – Hundreds of Californians from throughout the state will hold a major rally in Los Angeles September 29, 2012, urging Governor Jerry Brown to sign two measures that would expand basic protections to long-struggling workers and protect Californians from family-shattering deportations. Each proposal would create a national model for powerful, progressive policy.
It is a matter of leadership, vision, and state pride, say supporters of the two bills. The California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights (AB 889 – Ammiano) would end the outdated exclusion of domestic workers from basic labor protections by extending rights such as overtime pay and meal and rest breaks to the caregivers, childcare providers, and housecleaners caring for California’s families and homes. The TRUST Act (AB 1081 – Ammiano) would bring relief to families who fear deportation as a result of the most trivial of arrests, and rebuild confidence in law enforcement. The bill prevents the costly detention of aspiring citizens in local jails for deportation purposes, only allowing immigration “holds” for those charged or convicted of a serious or violent felony.
“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
Construction workers marking death of Winston Gillett with Vigil, Call for Action
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.
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.
DetailsLetter 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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