La Asociacion de Jornaleros - Wage Theft Workshop

La Asociacion de Jornaleros /San Diego Day Laborers Association www.myasjd.org

Organizer, Mark Day re-caps the wage theft workshop:

Our wage theft workshop on Oct. 29 in Oceanside was a huge success thanks to the teamwork of college students, organizers, guest speakers, jornaleros, and household workers who attended. Special thanks go to the Mira Costa college students of the Human Rights Committee of Oceanside for setting up the workshop at the Mira Costa Community Learning Center and for coordinating the food and other tasks.  

Our special guest was attorney Renee Saucedo from the Centro Legal de La Raza in San Francisco. Renee encouraged us to take direct action against employers who refuse to pay their workers. She also told the story of how the San Francisco day labor center got started 20 years ago, and how it has become so successful. The bottom line, said Renee, is that we have to keep organizing--and eventually we will reach our goals.  

Veronica Federovsky of the National Day Labor Organizing Network advised day laborers and household workers on how workers can do to protect their own interests when dealing with employers.  This includes being paid in cash the same day of the work and taking careful documentation on the employer in case he/she fails to pay.  

Justin Hewgill, wage attorney with the Employee Rights Center in San Diego gave solid advice on the need to carefully prepare paperwork in filing wage theft claims, and offered the services of the ERC. 

Praire Bly, directing attorney for the California Rural Legal Assistance office in Oceanside, spoke about how CRLA handles wage theft cases, and she offered to take on some cases including a workmen's comp case at the workshop.

Michelle Leneoue and Sergio Cardona of Interfaith Services (Escondido) spoke about wage theft in Escondido and how Interfaith relates to day laborers and household Workers.

We alternated speakers presentations with theatrical skits showing how we confront "wage thieves"  (recalcitrant employers).  One of the more popular skits starred Katia Rodriguez as a household worker and Professor Fredi Avalos as as diva-esque housewife who castigates her employee for breaking a picture frame.  This skit was titled: "La Crisis de Enedina."

Pedro Rios of the American Friends Service Committee spoke on the dangers of S-Comm (so called "Secure Communities) and how it divides immigrant communities.