Thursday, August 12, 2010

Exhibit on abused workers

From the NY Times:

Institutionalized slavery may have largely gone by the wayside in the United States around 1865, but that does not mean it has entirely vanished. And on Tuesday, a traveling exhibit outside the Judson Memorial Church, on Washington Square South, told part of that story of how and where forced labor still exists in the United States.

The exhibit, which moves to the Middle Collegiate Church on East Seventh Street on Wednesday before leaving town, is called the Florida Modern-Day Slavery Museum and consists of photographs, court papers and artifacts related to cases in which federal prosecutors have accused people of treating migrant workers — many of them illegal immigrants — as slaves.

The aim of the show, organized by a nonprofit workers’ group called the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, is twofold: to remind the public that people are sometimes still enslaved and to pressure produce companies to contract only with harvesters who treat workers fairly.


How about only hiring people who are here legally? It makes abuse much less likely.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Because tweeding groups like Coalition of whatever will not get grants to show this abuse.

Anonymous said...

"How about only hiring people who are here legally? It makes abuse much less likely."

As a pro labor employment lawyer, I can tell you that the above conclusion is wrong, very wrong.

Queens Crapper said...

The people here illegally are much less likely to report abuse out of fear of deportation. So I must respectfully disagree.

Anonymous said...

Unless the lawyer above can give us some examples, I'm going to wholeheartedly agree with Crappy.

Babs said...

Human trafficing from other countries - many of them children - is on the rise.

I would not put them in the same category as the illegals as they are here against their will.

Deke DaSilva said...

As a pro labor employment lawyer, I can tell you that the above conclusion is wrong, very wrong.

What a douche!

What about the impact illegal immigration has on:

- Wage rates for "working poor" U.S. citizens
- Black unemployment rate
- Overall teenage unemployment rate, and again, not to mention the Black teen unemployment rate
- Weakening the power of organized labor to advocate better working conditions

No, you're not a "pro labor employment lawyer". You're part of the "parasite class" that doesn't produce anything of value in society. You simply transfer wealth from one group of people into your own pockets.

The only thing you're in favor of is enriching your bank account at the expense of others!

Anonymous said...

Large Wall St companies who despise regulation love the cheap labor they can mistreat. Who needs OSHA anymore when you can tell the illegal worker not to report injuries in meat plants for all the fast food etc. or they lose their job. What 1980's president tried to dismantle OSHA.

Besides the slaughterhouse companies there were corporate farms in the 1950's who bused up Mexican immigrants for the purpose of border slave giving them empty promises.
Were these large farms and the current corporate giants like ConAgra, IBP and Excel even really held accountable?
Or how about Smithfield meat plant in North Carolina?

The American workers who are at the plants have been treated with neglect also.


The Chain Never Stops

American slaughterhouses are grinding out meat faster than ever and the production line keeps moving, even when the workers are maimed by the machinery.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2001/07/chain-never-stops

Illegal migrants bused in to plants.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/irrad/slaughterworkers.cfm

Auntie Invasion said...

recent article in village voice about all the problems and kidnappings of those illegally immigrating here. we are supposed to feel so sorry for the people coming to the US to take our jobs and invade our country? I don't. what kind of propaganda crap is that anyway? how about articles on American citizens who are having financial difficulties due to their jobs taken away by illegal immigrants?

Anonymous said...

RE:LARGE WALL STREET COMPANIES,

Could you list the Wall Street companies the love to hire the cheap illegal labor.

i work in the financial area and have never seen day laborers shaping up on corners as in flushing on northern blvd.

could you list other than far left wing sources to misinform us ?

Anonymous said...

You're ALL right! Unemployeement, is a HUGE problem, everywhere!
As for the lawyer, I was given (3)! ALL, had to be made to realize, that one voice of crap, is NO different than ALL three! As a matter of fact, it only angered I even more! Because I'm black, don't make I stupid, because you're corrupt and the ONLY way a "person" like you can beat I, IS, to be corrupt and by the way, that explains why you and others like you, have to stay up ALL night, in a "think tank", concoctignways to cheat people!
If it weren't for the corruption that exist, people would WIN their law suits, HANDS DOWN and THAT, is where the smarts are!