Workers fight to get paid

Several months ago, the owner of La Pupusa Loca restaurant in Houston started making excuses for not paying the workers. Most of the unpaid workers just left and found other jobs, figuring they had no recourse. But four of the women decided to fight for the wages owed them. They contacted the Central American Resource Center (Centro de Recursos Centroamericanos—CRECEN), which demanded the owner pay the wages he owed the workers. He agreed and issued checks to the workers, but they bounced.

The workers were owed almost $3,000 each for hours they worked over a two-month period. After much negotiating, the workers were paid most of the money owed them, but not all. The owner refused to pay the last $300 owed each of them, so on Aug. 29, a press conference was held in front of the restaurant. Supported by CRECEN, Interfaith Worker Justice, and a number of religious and community leaders and activists, two of the workers (on the right in the photo) explained to the media how they had been cheated out of wages they had earned at the restaurant. The two are immigrants from El Salvador who had worked there for several years. They left hopeful that the pressure put on the owner would force him to finally pay the total amount owed.

—Report and photo by Gloria Rubac