Local Wage Theft Campaign kicks off this Tuesday in Grand Rapids

The Micah Center and the Michigan Organizing Project have been doing the ground work to organize a campaign against Wage Theft in Grand Rapids. With the support of Grand Rapids City Mayor George Heartwell, the local effort is being this Tuesday where the Micah Center will show a new documentary, which features local workers who have experienced Wage Theft.

The event will also let people know about how they can get involved in the Grand Rapids campaign. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 20 at Hope Reformed Church, located at 2010 Kalamazoo, SE, Grand Rapids. The event begins at 6:00PM.

http://griid.org/2011/09/18/local-wage-theft-campaign-kicks-off-this-tuesday-in-grand-rapids/

States, feds share data on wage theft

The Labor Department is signing agreements to share information with nearly a dozen states, including Hawaii, and the Internal Revenue Service as it gets more aggressive in its program to crack down on businesses that cheat workers out of their wages. The information will help Labor officials target businesses that improperly label workers as independent contractors or as nonemployees to deprive workers of minimum wage and overtime pay. Misclassifying workers….

http://www.staradvertiser.com/business/businessnews/20110920_States_feds_share_data_on_wage_theft.html

Students, Laborers Share Experiences

One Saturday morning, a group of students gathered in Healy 106 prepared to head into the city for the day to experience life through the eyes of a day laborer.

The group of about 12 undergraduates were all participants in the Day Laborer Exchange Program sponsored by the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor — a university program that works to improve the lives of the working class….

http://www.thehoya.com/students-laborers-share-experiences-1.2599943

Construction and its shadow world

Adrian Aparicio Carmona spent his own money to buy supplies for a drywall job on a new home near Brenham several months ago. Then the contractor who hired him didn’t pay him.

“Everything I had in savings I invested in the job,” Aparicio said.

The theft of his wages only adds…

http://www.chron.com/business/steffy/article/Construction-and-its-shadow-world-2176270.php

San Francisco Cracks Down On Underpaying Employers

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed a wage-theft ordinance this week, enacting stricter penalties for employers who don’t pay their workers minimum wage and overtime.

“People are not paying the legitimate minimum wage. They are not paying for wages for overtime. They continue to undercut the wage loss here locally as well as federally,” said Mayor Lee….

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/09/17/san-francisco-cracks-down-on-underpaying-employers/

Task force looks to help day laborers

Day laborers in the area stand on the corner of Jones Ferry Road and Davie Road, rain or shine.

But Board of Alderman candidates — and local labor advocates ­— want to change that.

At a meeting this week organized by Orange County Justice United, community advocates created location and fundraising committees to work toward creating a center for the day laborers.

“While we take the situation further, we’re trying to identify short-term things we can do and long-term things we should do,” said Julio Olmos, community organizing director for El Centro Hispano.

He said the first short-term step is putting Port-A-Johns at the location.

And though the Carrboro Board of Aldermen is not spearheading the project, incumbent and 2011 candidate Dan Coleman said the board — which fellow candidate Lydia Lavelle also sits on — looks to support the initiative.

Since many day laborers are Hispanic, the main location being considered is El Centro Hispano in Carrboro, Coleman said.

“The key point is that El Centro is intimately connected with the Hispanic community that day laborers mostly come from,” he said.

“So they are in a better position than the town to address these issues.”

Olmos said El Centro’s Carrboro leaders have not yet spoken to its landlord about a restriction in the location’s contract that could disallow the project.

http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2011/09/task_force_looks_to_help_day_laborers