Posted on 06/13/2013 5:55:10 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Fuerza del Valle Workers' Center is raising awareness about wage theft among undocumented immigrants.
“Most people do not know you can call police after they try to get their pay from an employer and the police have a duty to follow criminal law and investigate the employer," Hector Guzman Lopez, Fuerza del Valle Workers' Center coordinator, said.
Under Texas Penal Code it is illegal for employers to not pay for labor regardless of the person's legal status.
Basilio Castro, an undocumented immigrant, was working at an Alamo apartment complex painting and doing construction.
“They liked the job so they were like finish painting all the buildings,” Castro’s wife, Valentina Casas said.
His employer paid for his gas to get to work, but never paid him wages.
“He started saying 'well, I need money' and it took them three months to give him $100,” Casas said.
After eight months of working and struggling to make ends meet, Castro contacted Fuerza del Valle Workers' Center through La Union del Pueblo Entero.
The group was able to get him his wages which totaled more than $1,000.
Guzman Lopez said wage theft often goes unreported by undocumented immigrants.
“Especially in the Valley, there’s a large culture of impunity, a culture of ‘I can work somebody to death and not pay them what I have to pay them,’” Guzman Lopez said.
Guzman Lopez said undocumented immigrants can report wage theft to local law enforcement agencies without fear of being arrested or deported.
“Any report made at the McAllen Police Department will be investigated and once that investigation is completed it will be turned over to the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s office,” Lt. Joel Morales, with the McAllen Police Department, said.
Organizers want to send a clear message to dishonest employers.
Work with no pay is not OK.
Illegal aliens don't get me worked up. The unethical pols who abet them do. The unfortunate thing is that the GOP is the party of the plutocrats/NAABP (i.e. the National Association of Billionaire People), and the Democrats are merely trying to up their vote margins by importing a new electorate. This is why in the long run, we are doomed. On immigration issues, we have one party rule at the Federal level.
One of the many ways unethical politicians abet the illegal aliens is to treat them no differently under the law than legal alien residents or citizens.
These people are not "undocumented immigrants" - they are ILLEGAL ALIENS. Calling them undocumented immigrants is like calling shoplifting an "undocumented purchase."
Agreed; but encourage and help them to improve conditions in their home countries so they'll come here because the want to, not because they have to. The problem is when they've overthrown their oligarchy, what will take its place? Commies usually take over then; case in point- Cuba.
Yes, they need to clean up their country but we are about to the same point. Corruption is overwhelming our country.
And keeping back promised wages is offensive to God:
James 5:1-5 (ESV)
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
8 months was only $1000? Something is wrong here. That’s only about $31 dollars a week. Either way a W-9 has to be issued, taxes paid. Any bets none were and the advocate never asked?
That is what the guy was afraid of. Little did he know, they only have to enforce laws against citizens. Not all citizens, just the politically incorrect citizens, or those who try to take criminal advantage of criminals.
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