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America has become once more, since the practice of slavery and the abuses characteristic of the dawn of the industrial revolution, in the wealthiest nation…

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America has become once more, since the practice of slavery and the abuses characteristic of the dawn of the industrial revolution, in the wealthiest nation exploiting its own workforce.

 

“The core protections that many Americans take for granted... are failing significant numbers of workers,” a recent study reveals.

“Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers”, is the most comprehensive study on work conditions in America published this week by University of Illinois, UCLA and the National Employment Law Project.   Over 4,000 workers where surveyed in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, revealing how 1.64 million front-line workers in already low-wage industries fare in the nation’s largest cities.

Its findings reveal that employment and labor laws are “regularly and systematically violated.”   Here are some highlights:“60 percent of workers were underpaid by more than $1 per hour” or 15% less than the already meager $7.25 federal minimum wage for 2009; “70% did not receive any pay at all for the work they performed outside of their regular shift.”

Another key finding was that “foreign-born Latino workers had the highest minimum wage violation rates of any racial/ethnic group,” and that “women were significantly more likely than men to experience minimum wage violations”.

Overall in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City workers in low wage industries “lose more than $56.4 millions per week as a result of employment and labor law violations” which amounts to a formidable $3 billion dollars a year.

America had no qualms overpaying millions to military contractors such as the ex-Blackwater not only to wage wars abroad but to secure New Orleans after Katrina; at the same time America was not troubled hiring and underpaying as much as 65% less to undocumented Latino workers to clean up toxic and hazardous waste left by Katrina.

America’s workforce is being decimated by the rampant abuse on the part of a growing number of employers ranging from large corporations (the study mentions recent settlements by the likes of Wal-Mart, FedEx and large poultry processing companies in North Caroline) to small businesses ever willing to outsource, sub-contract, and exploit not only the workforce elsewhere in Third World countries, but right here in American soil.

A sound fundamental plea resulting from this authoritative study is to “establish equal status for immigrants in the workplace”, ensuring “status-blind enforcement of employment and labor laws.”

This last statement will no doubt provoke the outrage of those who ascribe the burden of all evils to illegal immigration. Yet, setting hatreds aside, there would be profound implications to the advantage of all.    The jobs magnet for illegal immigration is precisely a result of abusive employer practices, who thrive with the opportunity presented by an underclass of frightened and devoid-of-all-rights workers.   

Acknowledge to all workers their human, moral rights and Constitutional rights and America might regain its dignity.

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