Posted on 08/12/2007 8:16:16 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The owner of a Madison (WI) Mexican restaurant is suing two pro-immigrant groups that helped organize pickets outside his business to protest his employment practices.
David Herrera, owner of La Hacienda Inc., on South Park Street, contends the demonstrations have interfered with his business and customers. He's asking a judge to make the protesters tone down their tactics.
The suit filed this week names the Immigrant Workers Union, the Interfaith Coalition for Workers and two protest leaders. The groups are part of a coalition that advocates for immigrant workers.
The groups have organized the pickets since last month at La Hacienda. They say employees have been forced to work off the clock without pay and five former workers are each owed between $3,000 and $11,000.
Herrera denies those claims. La Hacienda paid $38,000 in back wages in January 2006 after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found wage violations.
In his lawsuit, Herrera says protesters have blocked the parking lot entrance and shouted so loudly that some potential customers were scared away and others on an outside patio couldn't enjoy their meals.
He is seeking an order to keep the picketers at least 10 feet away from the parking lot and patio and stop them from intimidating customers and "engaging in loud or boisterous speech" that interferes with meals. A hearing on the request is set for next week.
Patrick Hickey, a protest leader named in the suit, dismissed the allegations as untrue or exaggerated but said the protests have hurt La Hacienda's business.
Pickets scheduled for Saturday and Tuesday will go forward because protesters handing out leaflets to customers and chanting are entitled to free speech, he said.
"We need to let the public know this is the kind of operation that is being run here," Hickey said.
But that's not good enough for the 'Immigrant Workers Union' or the 'Interfaith Coalition for Workers?' They want to totally ruin this employers business so the workers their groups claim to assist won't have any jobs at all?
Huh?
Are the workers immigrants or are they ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS? If they are the latter then the employer should be in jail and the workers deported.
If this guy was exploiting workers, illegal or not, I have no sympathy for him.
If this La Hacienda is any relation to the ones in my area, they got shut down for several weeks by an INS raid. It turned out the workers were illegal, getting paid less than crap and being forced to rent apartments to stay in from the owner of the restaurants.
It was sad for the people who were being taken advantage of, but that’s what happens when you are a criminal.
I do. Anyone who has ever tried to read, understand and apply the confusing language in the new federal wage and hour regulations has my sympathy.
He's not alone, either. Lawsuits due to confusion over the wage and hour statutes are the # 1 type of employment law these days. It's a new and ever growing field for employment lawyers, and they're basically making up the law as they go along.
Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin
Patrick Hickey, Director
* Advocacy for workplace issues (i.e. filing EOC paperwork, etc.)
Tourists don't have a whole lot of rights ~ can't get a job, no driver's license, but they can rent and spend.
When their time is up they go back home. Oh, yeah, and their kids too. Tourists who have babies here don't end up with an American citizen on their hands ~ just another one of their own.
The rights, responsibilities and standards for tourism are well-established in our own and international law.
Union Labor News, January 2007
By Patrick Hickey, Director, ICWJ
The Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice’s (ICWJ) involvement was triggered by Cintas’ recent decision to let go over 400 workers around the country who had received ‘no match’ letters from the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA sends out the letters in order to clean up its database and ensure workers are credited for taxes paid.
Cintas has decided to follow a controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal that threatens millions of immigrant families’ livelihoods. The proposal, which is not yet law – and may never become law – calls on employers to fire workers for not correcting social security number mismatches with SSA. Many of the workers let go have been with Cintas for many years.
Over the years, Cintas had merely passed these letters on to their employees and taken no further action. But this year, Cintas has let go workers who did not correct the discrepancy.
A Chance to Work/A Chance to Succeed
A Chance to Work/A Chance to Succeed is a coalition formed to educate the community about the negative impacts of arrest and conviction discrimination in employment in our community and to challenge and eliminate this form of discrimination.
In November, we opened the doors to the Workers’ Rights Center, a volunteer-run resource center for low-wage and immigrant workers
In 2000, the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin launched a study of actual workplace conditions in Dane County through the Latino Worker Project. The Latino Worker Project fact-finding delegation was a collaborative effort of faith community representatives, union leaders, workers, and local social service providers. The final published report, “Can’t Afford to Lose a Bad Job,” highlighted the difficulties and barriers these workers face.
The Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin currently has two paid staff: Patrick Hickey, the ICWJ Director, and Geri Girard, the bookkeeper.
The Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin (ICWJ)
ICWJ 2007 Board of Directors
Board Officers:
Douglas Keillor: Assistant to the Executive Director, Madison Teachers, Inc.
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman, Shaarei Shamayim
Joan Grosse, Secretary
(Madison-area Part-time Teachers Association)
James Greer, Treasurer: Apprenticeship Coordinator, Northern Wisconsin Regional Council of Carpenters
Board Members:
Courtney Derwinski, Researcher, Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)
Reverend Calvin P. Harfst: Reverend, Parkside Presbyterian Church
Jonathan Rosenblum: Labor Attorney
Josh Healey, Student Labor Action Coalition
Michael Childers, Assistant Professor, UW Extension, School for Workers
United Way of Dane County donates to INTERFAITH COALITION FOR WORKER JUSTICE OF SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN
So, in other words...there’s a whole band of people “exploiting the exploited?” What a surprise. ;)
Looks like a bunch of teacher unions too.
This guy is worse than bad. He is using illegals and not even paying them! And yet this criminal has this gall to bash patriotic groups who want our laws enforced?
You should see the number of people who say they are married; but aren’t. It’s one of those nod and wink things. I have no idea why they do it. Why don’t they just admit they aren’t married?
Sorry, I didn’t make myself clear. The people I was refering to are legal Americans as well as illegals. I see it all the time at work.
And that is why you should NEVER, EVER donate a nickel to United Way.
Why let them decide what to do with your donated, hard earned dollars? Instead, donate directly to the charities of your choice.
BTW, this same philosophy should be applied to the RNC, etc. Just donate directly to the candidates of your choice.
Am I drawing parallels between the United Way and the RNC. Why, yes I am!
I am starting to get your point.
The only way you may become an immigrant to this country is to adhere to the law. Otherwise you're just a tourist without a visa.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.