Posts Tagged ‘Labor’
The paleta man’s life is not an easy one
12:40 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Activism| Books| California| Immigration · 1 Comment
11 Apr 2006
The almost mythical “paleta man” — the guy who strolls down the streets and highways with a little cart full of popsicles, ringing a bell — has become a fixture in this country. His image, I think, puts a face on the struggle of new immigrants to the U.S. Start with nothing, do some very hard work and barely scrape by.
In the age of the internet it seems that most of the conversations about immigration are happening online. The timeliness is great, but at times the discourse lacks depth. Luckily, there are still people taking the time to research and write books that tell stories. BeyondChron.org reviews a book that tells the story of the paleta man and other immigrant workers in California’s Silicon Valley:’
Turns out that in 1993, the Delicias de Jalisco corporation had a sweet thing going it selling its products through largely undocumented Mexican immigrants throughout Northern California. The worker had to pay $2.00 a day for the pushcart and ice, and kept only 33 cents of every 75 cent popsicle sold. After working for eight hours in the hot sun, and pushing the cart for five miles, the street peddler on a good day would make $40.00. Arturo, the immigrant whose daily activities are described in the book, could make $200 a week, as much as he was making working for a non-union janitorial company.
A tough job, but somebody’s got to do it
3:15 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Immigration| Labor · Comments Off
20 Feb 2006
Coal mining isn’t a career most of us consider when pondering what we want to do for a living. Apparently even children of miners, once the heirs apparent to the vocation, aren’t considering it anymore either. Enter Latino immigrants:
The local mine company here, Sidney Coal Co., is seeking to change Kentucky mining legislation so it can hire non-English-speaking Latino workers.
Kentucky law requires that miners be fluent in English for safety reasons, but Sidney Coal, a subsidiary of Massey Energy Inc., has claimed that it cannot find enough local workers.
I want the other minority: workplace discrimination
1:04 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Labor| race| society · 1 Comment
24 Jan 2006
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece today about a supposed trend in the working world — blacks are being passed over for positions as employers show favoritism towards Latino candidates:
This kind of case marks a shift from years past, when blacks were likely to seek legal action against employers who showed preferential treatment toward whites. The cases highlight mounting tension between Hispanics and blacks as they compete for resources and job opportunities.
Recently, the federal agency announced it also secured a $180,000 settlement from Zenith National Insurance Corp., a national workers-compensation specialist, to be divided among 10 blacks who applied for a mailroom job at its headquarters in Woodland Hills, Calif. The job was offered to a Latino man with no mailroom experience, according to the EEOC.
Should Undocumented Workers Be Able to Sue?
11:00 am By Maegan La Mala · Immigration| Labor| New York City · Comments Off
11 Jan 2006
Today the New York a court will begin to hear a case which will likely set a precedent in labor relations. The case will determine if undocumented workers injured on the job are protected by labor laws and thus have the right to sue for injuries sustained or if their families would have the right to sue for negligence. At the center of the case is New York Labor Law 240, which was created in 1921 to protect child laborers, sweatshop workers, and mine and tunnel workers. Does this law also apply to undocumented workers? Pro-Immigrant organizations and even New York Attorney General Elliott Spitzer have weighed in in support of Gorgonio Balbuena, the Colombian who is suing his former employers, ID Realty, LLC & Dora Wecler.
Via / El Diaro/LA PRENSA
The Pew Hispanic Center released a report yesterday that shows the gap between Latino workers and White workers is widening. Latinos continue to be overrepresented in jobs paying lower wages and jobs with lower educational requirements such as jobs in the service and construction industries despite the fact that the study looked at a ten year time period which has been touted as having the “largest economic expansion in recent U.S. history”. The representation of Latinos in management and other professional areas actually declined from 1990 to 2000. Most interestingly, citizenship did not seem to be a huge factor with both Mexicans and Puerto Ricans (who are all citizens of the United States) lagging the furthest behind whites.
Via / Pew Hispanic Center
NYU Doesn’t Want to Give the World a Coke
9:34 am By Maegan La Mala · Colombia| New York City| Politics · Comments Off
29 Nov 2005
New York University may be better known for scandals with students selling coke than for drinking it, but the private university located in the heart of Greenwich Village is looking to ban the soda and all its products. The carbonated company has until December 8 to agree to an independent investigation of its Colombian bottling operations. Coke has been battling accusations of abusive and possibly criminal labor practices in Latin America including kidnapping and murder of labor leaders. The ironly of all ironies is that NYU is currently involved in their own labor dispute with grad student teachers.
Via / Gothamist
Black Friday Doesn’t Have to be so Black
25 Nov 2005
My mother had to open the retail store she manages at 7 am today. My cousins said they would be at the toy store at 6 am. The mall near my apartment was open at 5 am. The leftover turkey in the fridge, it’s time to go shopping! The day after Thanksgiving is considered the biggest holiday shopping day of the year and is sometimes called “Black Friday”. But that doesn’t mean that we have to join in the shopping madness or given the recent conversation on VL about sweatshops that we can’t shop with a conscience. There are alternatives to the early bird shopping specials and red tag sales.
Anti-Arnold: We have to drive to survive
6:00 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · California| Immigration| Los Angeles| Politics · 1 Comment
14 Oct 2005
California Latino activists are not happy with the Governator this month (neither are teachers, nurses or gays) after his October 7th veto of a bill that would allow drivers’ licenses for undocumented immigrants. Perhaps where the pang of such a denial is most deeply felt is in Los Angeles. To call L.A. a sprawling metropolis is an understatement. It is the definition of sprawl, and the painful reminder of the failure of American urban planning and the automotive industry’s death vice on this country since cars were invented.
To live in L.A., to survive, means to drive. Angelinos spend A LOT of time in their cars. You need a car to get to work, and to drive that car legally, you need a license. Immigrants are here to work, yet they are being denied that necessary piece of documentation. Activists are speaking out and saying just that:
“The people need driver’s licenses. They are workers, not terrorists, and deserve respect and dignity,” said Cedillo, who pledged to reintroduce the bill as many times as it takes to get it passed. “Broken promises” are unacceptable, he said. “On Nov. 8, we will vote no on Propositions 74, 75, 76 and 77!”
Props 74, 75, 76 and 77 refer to the various state propositions being made by the Governor which will be voted on next month. The anti-Arnold rally for immigrants’ rights is set for October 27th at 4:00 pm in Los Angeles’ Pershing Square.
Via / Indybay.org and Google News
What’s in Your Jeans?
7 Oct 2005
Is there a little bit of sweat between you and your Calvin’s? According to SweatShop Watch, if you’re wearing Levi’s or Mudd jeans, there very well could be. The grassroots organization has mounted a campaign in solidarity with garment workers of Manufacturas LaJat in the area known as Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. Workers there who help in the production of Levi’s and Mudd Jeans (as well as others) have been struggling in the maquiladora against the factory where they work being shut down, low wages, and unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. When workers tried to organize, management was accused of firing workers, bribing workers, and even sexually harassing workers.
Most of the time when we go shopping or when we get dressed in the morning, we don’t think about how clothes got on the rack or in our closets. Recognizing that some Latinos are struggling so we can look stylish should give us pause at least, if not action.
Hola!
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- Pedro Julio Serrano on the Murder of Lopez Mercado
- Bay Area Community Members to Hold Vigil and Release Statement about Murders in Maryland and Puerto Rico
- Transgender Day of Remembrance and Latin@s
- Dear Troll(s):
- Puerto Rican, Latino Clergy, Theology Professors, Community Members To Condemn Brutal Hate Killing of Gay Puerto Rican Man
- Vigils for Justice y en Memoria de Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado
- Russell Athletic rehires fired union organizers
- When Things Go Wrong…Terribly Wrong.
- Official VivirLatino Statement on Lou Dobbs Leaving CNN
- Sexual Violence Against Women in Immigrant Detention
