JERSEY CITY, N.J.
Latinos fight retail sweatshops
Charging violations of state and federal labor law, eight
Mexican and Colombian workers held a news conference in
Jersey City, N.J., Jan. 9.
The workers were joined by their attorney, Jennifer Ching
of the American Civil Liberties Union, and supporters from
the American Friends Service Committee in Newark. The workers
explained why they had just filed a lawsuit against their
former employer, Universal Distribution Center, which owns
and operates 40 bargain stores in northern New Jersey.
The workers accused their former bosses of calling them
"donkeys for work." Their testimony exposed years of cruel
and unlawful working conditions for immigrant women and men
who were paid below minimum wage. They worked to stock new
bargain stores prior to their grand openings, and were
promised wages of between $5 and $9 per hour.
Without any explanation to the workers, the bosses paid
just $2.74 an hour and no benefits. Sometimes payment was
made in cash, they said; at other times they were paid with
checks that didn't indicate the number of hours worked. They
labored seven days a week for up to 14 hours a day with no
overtime pay.
Daniel Perez explained how he and his fellow workers were
forced to work for three days without a break, with only one
meal of pizza each day. They were promised rides home at
night but never got them. "We had to sleep on the floor,"
Perez explained. "It was cold."
After the news conference, the immigrant workers led a
spirited rally in the bitter cold. Supporters from the labor
and civil-rights movements joined them. At the entrance of
one of Universal Distribution's "99-cent Dreams" stores,
protesters chanted "Shame on you!" Bilingual signs demanded
equal treatment for immigrant workers. Passing shoppers
stopped to show support.
"We are just a small sample of the immigrant workers who
have faced problems," said Oscar Roldan. As the rally ended,
loud voices insisted, "We'll be back!"
--Anne Pruden
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
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