Tales Of Heroism 2009

Tales of Migrant Heroism in the face of Workplace Abuses Jose Isabel Jose travelled to the U.S. on an H-2B visa hoping to work in landscaping. When he arrived in Monterrey to obtain his visa, he was informed that he would not be working in landscaping, but rather in the fair industry. When Jose got on the bus to cross the border to the U.S. , his passport and visa were confiscated. Jose was dropped off with other passengers to work in New York for Dreamland Amusements. Jose and his co-workers were working over 70 hours per week and received $250 per week and no overtime pay, amounting to a total of approximately $3.50 per hour – well under the minimum wage. The Dreamland H-2B workers were provided with housing that was almost uninhabitable and infested with rodents and insects. When Jose asked for his passport back, his employer refused to return it, stating that the passports were being retained so that the workers would not leave the job site. Aware that his rights were being violated, Jose contacted CDM. Within one week, the New York Attorney General’s office was informed of the situation. On August 31st, 2009, Jose was informed of a settlement reached with Dreamland, which provided for $325,000 in unpaid wages to be distributed to Jose and his co-workers.

Salvador In 2008, Salvador, his brother and his two sons were recruited to work for a landscaping company in Texas. The work was exhausting and very tedious, and the workers were not allowed breaks. One particularly hot afternoon when they were suffering under the heat and exhaustion, Salvador demanded a break. The employer became angry and fired him. Salvador organized his family and collectively they informed their employer that they would all stop working if Salvador was fired. The employer responded by firing the entire family. Salvador got in touch with CDM, who worked with other lawyers to assert an unfair labor practices claim. In 2009, Salvador and his family won the claim and were able to obtain lost wages for the unjust firing. Salvador is also currently suing the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security for issuing new regulations that eliminate important protections for H-2B workers.