Day laborers hope victory in court will encourage others
Ariel Edwards Levy | 4-15-2010 | Comments |
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Two day laborers are finally getting the wages they earned, after years of court battles. Advocates hope others will follow suit. Ariel Edwards-Levy filed this story for Annenberg Radio News.Day laborer German Aquino knew he was entitled to get paid for his work. But at times he wasn’t sure it would ever happen.
He is one of the many victims of wage theft. It’s a common plight for day laborers, who are often undocumented immigrants. They are among L.A.’s most vulnerable workers, sometimes ending up with no paycheck and no options.
Aquino and another man, Miguel Murcia, did some work for a landlord several years ago, but were never paid a dime. Even after they proved they were entitled to the wages in 2008, they received no money.
Last week, a judge finally forced the landlord to start paying.
Aquino, speaking through a translator, says the decision gave him faith in the legal system.
“I doubted many times if the lawyers would be able to do anything or help. I don’t think I won this victory by myself, but I think it was all of you,” he says.
Those lawyers are part of the wage justice center. Attorney Matthew Sirolly says the group regularly visits job centers to ensure that workers know their rights.
“There’s a lot of disbelief, both among employers and low-income, especially recent immigrant workers, that the legal system applies to them and that they will be protected by the legal system,” he says.
Case manager Neidi Dominguez says changing that attitude is key. She relates a recent conversation with one woman.
“More and more, she realizes that people think it’s ok to steal wages from herself and the day laborers, maybe because of their immigration status,” she said the woman told her. “But I know now that we have rights, and I want to make sure my children grow up knowing that as well.”
The two workers have already received $2,000 of their promised payment.
Tags: ariel edwards-levy day laborers immigrants immigration wage theft workers rights