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Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.
A new survey of nearly 4,400 low-wage earners in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago found alarming evidence that the nation’s labor laws are violated by employers far more frequently than previously thought.
The report, “Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers,” co-authored by professors from UCLA, the University of Illinois and Cornell and Rutgers universities, found that one-quarter of those surveyed had been paid less than minimum wage the previous week. Among those individuals, 60 percent were underpaid by more than $1 an hour.
Researchers found that three-quarters of the respondents who had worked more than 40 hours the prior week were not paid the legally required overtime.
The study also documented high percentages of violations involving meal breaks, workers’ compensation and employer retaliation.
Contacted by The New York Times for reaction to the report, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis aptly said: “There is no excuse for the disregard of federal labor standards — especially those designed to protect the neediest among us.”
Solis vowed to add 250 wage-and-hour investigators to the Labor Department, a move that is clearly warranted based on the study.
It is bad enough that the federal minimum wage has been ridiculously low in this nation for several decades, especially for adults with children to feed. Paying people less than minimum wage while denying them proper overtime pay is unconscionable.
The Times reported Wednesday that many small businesses say they are forced to violate wage laws to remain competitive. If so, that also warrants federal investigation. Businesses should not have to break any labor laws to compete.
Part of the reason why employers can exploit low-wage workers can be explained by looking at the demographics of those who participated in the survey, all of whom were at least 18. Nearly 40 percent of the respondents were illegal immigrants, who typically are more vulnerable to exploitation than other workers.
The United States is not a Third World country, though, and should not tolerate employers who have shown no regard for the law.
Now let's figure this out, How can an illegal immigrant, breaking federal laws by being and working in our country illegally even have a place in this article. He has no right to be in our country much less work here. I sincerely hope that when these 250 wage and hour investagators are hired and get working on cases of abuse, that when they find any of these employees have broken federal immigration laws they will call ICE who will prosecute these illegals and the employers who hired them. It is a shame that our government is treating these federal law breakers like citizens. Maybe that's what they want, for the U.S. to get used to these illegals getting the same treatment as a citizen, even when our Government isn't upholding our laws.
Is it against our laws not to uphold our laws?
Unfortunatly, I read in a paper distrubuted by the public library that this government wants to legalize all the illigals. Can't cry fowl then.
Canada, the United States and Mexico have been discussing the Security and Prosperity Partnership since 2005. This is the precurser to the North American Union which started with NAFTA, which was passed by the Clinton Administration.
There will be no national borders between these three countries. We will all be of the same country and all of its members(citizens) will be able to travel around in this new country and get work where ever they can. Think work is hard enough to find now?
Hey let's round up all the undocumented workers.
Let us put them in jail and deport them. One thing who pays? The workers or the employers or the tax payers? This is why the GOP will not get in power for a long time. American born Latinos bet caught up in this broad sweep of hate and fear. ICE should have done their job, but were underfunded by the previous administrations, including WJC's.
This is why gov't doesn't work, because when you don't spend enough money to stop the problem, and wink,wink, nod,nod to exploit workers, it comes back and bite you.
We could have militias round up all the undocumented workers. They could volunteer their time and money. Unfortunately, a lot native-born brown people would be rounded up. Don't forget all the Asians with no papers. I am sure there are a lot of Canadians and Africans and Europeans that have no papers. Wow, the logistics will be extremely difficult. At least with the non-whites it will be easy to spot them. I am just waiting to see the crews of native-born landscapers and pavers. These sweeps of different looking people has been done before. It was done to Jews and Communists And Gypsies and others in 1930's Germany. How did that work out for that Gov't?
The last line of this article was apparently omitted, so here it is: "The United States is not a Third World Country, though, and should also not tolerate those who have shown no regard for the law by paying thousands of dollars to criminals to run them into the U.S. by shooting at and murdering United States Border Patrol Agents." And the people of Las Vegas should not tolerate the Sun's omission of that line. You can view the account of the recent murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosa at the National Border Patrol Council website at www.nbpc.net. He was the father of two small children and was trying to stop illegal immigration into our country; he was trying to stop the exploitation of Americans and Mexicans, whose governments grow more corrupt and inept by the day.
Diamonddogg has a good idea. Send those who are here illegally back to their country of citizenship, then maybe citizens and lawful residents without jobs would have a chance in the job market. Not all illegal immigrants are just working in the day labor market. Then, jobs that couldn't be filled could be staffed with foreign nationals having worker visas.
Diamonddogg may not know that there are U.S. Citizens and lawful permanent resident that are "non-whites." They deserve the chance to work in the positions that are currently by those illegal immigrants who showed false/fraudulent documents in order to obtain their jobs in the U.S.
This is a country of laws. If you don't like the laws, then change them.
There have been periods in my life where I have taken any available job in order to survive. One of the better ones was on the back of a garbage truck.
My big break came when I turned 18 and joined the Army.
Since when is it OK to steal from someone whether they are legal residents or not? When someone doesn't pay someone what they have earned it is theft.
Wonder if that cook at Roberto's is underpaid since he did not put enough cheese in my bean and burrito