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"title": "How Santa Clara County is Fighting Wage Theft",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">California faces a big problem in labor law enforcement: when businesses are found to have committed wage theft, many \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">still \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">don’t pay workers what they’re owed. KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero tells us how Santa Clara County is implementing a local solution to this statewide issue. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">[iframe frameborder=”0″ height=”200″ scrolling=”no” src=”https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC6137013080&light=true” width=”100%”/iframe\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and welcome to The Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. You would think – hope, even – that if you were a victim of wage theft, that there’s a process in place to help you get what you’re owed. And there is a state agency in California set up for that. It’s just the process doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>There’s only 13 people in the whole state dedicated to helping thousands of these low income workers try to recover that money that the state found their due.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Many businesses that have committed wage theft are often able to avoid settling that debt in California. That’s why officials in Santa Clara County have implemented a local solution to this problem by pushing some local businesses to pay up or lose their right to operate today. How one Bay Area County is helping put money back in the hands of workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>So I went to downtown Gilroy and it was a couple of months ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Farida Jhabvala Romero is a labor correspondent for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>It was really hot and super sunny, and I met a group of people who were doing outreach work, partnering with the County of Santa Clara to educate food businesses in that area about their responsibilities as employers. And one of them was Melissa Sanchez. I have a.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>For sure for you here to give to the owner, if you don’t mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>She would go into businesses and they would, like start chatting. They’re just trying to tell people what’s going on and also let them know about a county program called the Food Permit Enforcement Program and delivering pamphlets about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Melissa Sanchez: \u003c/strong>And your name again? I’m sorry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ricardo Rivas: \u003c/strong>My name is Ricardo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Melissa Sanchez: \u003c/strong>Oh, hi, Ricardo. I’m Melissa. Yes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>One of the people she met was Ricardo Rivas. He’s the manager of a restaurant called Tempo Kitchen and Bar. And Ricardo ended up saying he was very interested in attending the the free training and that he wanted to make sure that the restaurant was treating workers fairly. And then he got information about the food permit wage theft enforcement program as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ricardo Rivas: \u003c/strong>There’s so many different things involved with between state and county and federal laws, especially as far as labor goes. So being able to stay compliant with it, ensure that we are treating our workers here fairly and accordance to the law is definitely a major importance for us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So Melissa and the people that you were out there following were really out there trying to reach out to business owners about this program in Santa Clara County. Before we dig into it, what is the problem that this program is trying to solve?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>The county started this program because they’re putting some resources down to try to stem labor violations like wage theft, which is when workers are not paid what they’re owed under the law, like meal and rest breaks and overtime, minimum wage. There’s a state agency that investigates those cases When workers complain, it’s called the labor commissioner’s office. There is a list of cases where the Labor commissioner’s office has found that the worker is owed wages by an employer. But many times workers end up not getting any of that money paid. Statewide, the Labor commissioner’s office told us that there are more than 6500 of these cases of people with unpaid judgments that remain open, totaling more than $85 million. And this process, Ericka, can sometimes take years. The state has a very tiny department. It’s called the Judgment Enforcement Unit. They focused on helping low income workers get money back. They’re super understaffed. They said there were 22 positions statewide and only 13 were filled. That means there’s only 13 people in the whole state dedicated to helping thousands of low income workers try to recover that money. People who don’t want to pay will often move money around or put it in somebody else’s name. Close the business, declare bankruptcy. You know, it can be a really long, you know, process. So a lot of people end up just, you know, never seeing that money ever again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This has been a problem that a lot of people have been talking about in Santa Clara County. Right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Workers rights advocates in the county have been pushing for years to get more local city and county governments involved. The way they see it, as often, there aren’t enough consequences when businesses are found to owe workers wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth Silver Taube: \u003c/strong>I believe it’s a business model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Ruth Silver Taube is an attorney who coordinates the Santa Clara County Wage Theft Coalition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth Silver Taube: \u003c/strong>There’s a subset of businesses that just don’t want to pay these judgments because they want to make more money for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>So these worker advocates, like they’ve been pushing for more local consequences for businesses who have these unpaid judgments with the labor commissioner’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth Silver Taube: \u003c/strong>We do need more enforcement that that to me, is a huge problem because even if you win, it doesn’t matter. The worker needs that money. We need that money in the worker’s pockets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What role exactly is the county playing in this and what are they doing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>What the county does is they regularly get a list of all these businesses in the states with unpaid judgments. Then they figure out which ones are food businesses with permits in the county. They target the person named in the in the actual judgment. Then they’ll send the business a letter. And if the business doesn’t respond in 45 days, the county can take their permit to operate away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Jessie Yu: \u003c/strong>The county focuses on food from its because we see a nexus between vulnerable worker populations and a large number of labor violations in the food retail industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Jesse Yu heads the county’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. The county is in charge of issuing these food permits. So the way they think about it is, well, the businesses need to comply with all the laws, and that includes making sure they don’t have any of these unpaid judgments, that they don’t owe money to the state or workers in the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Jessie Yu; \u003c/strong>That’s exactly kind of where we see we fit in is just really complementing and supporting the federal and state process. Because even though a judgment is issued, sometimes the business doesn’t pay. And so we’re hoping to leverage our food permits to ensure that payment happens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>It’s definitely a very different message when the county is threatening to revoke your permit to operate, you know, you would have to close your business if you don’t have this permit. And so it is creating more local consequences for for these businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>As I understand it, this program has actually been pretty successful, it seems like, at getting wages back into the hands of workers. I believe that the number is $125,000. Is that right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah. They’ve said they’ve recovered $125,000 so far. It’s definitely, you know, nothing to sniff out, especially for the workers who were able to actually recover, you know, thousands of dollars on wages they were owed. I did get in touch with workers who got money after the food permit program got involved in their cases, but none of them wanted to speak publicly. You know, they did not want to be quoted because they didn’t want to be associated with a wage dispute. And, you know, sometimes their former employers in the same community had one worker tell me that their employer goes to her church. Businesses that paid these judgments after the food permit enforcement program sent them letters. You know, we’re in touch with them. They also didn’t want to be quoted or identified in the story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Zooming out, Farida, I’m curious how unique a program like this is. The people who follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Labor enforcement nationally that I talked to said this was a pretty unique program in the sense that the county is actively trying to identify and reach out to businesses doing investigations of their own, sometimes into a business, and also having this big outreach component. So, you know, it sounds like Santa Clara is trying something new. I heard words like innovative, you know, like pretty unique. That’s how people describe the county’s work on this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Are there other cities that have tried to do something like this?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Outside of Santa Clara, there’s other types of efforts I’ve seen. Like recently, San Diego County launched a new program called the Workplace Justice Fund. And so what the county is trying to do there is identifying workers who have these unpaid judgments in San Diego County. The county will front them up to $3,000 to help them stabilize financially. And at the same time, the county has its own collections agency, you know, with professional people who do this for a living, you know, And so they’ll take over the workers case, you know, and try to help them recover funds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, what would it take to get something like this going on a larger scale for you to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>I think what would it would take is just counties elsewhere deciding that they they want to try this out. You know, our feeling that this is a big enough problem for them that they that they want to focus on it in this way. You know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Or a big enough priority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Exactly. Like the situation of of having workers who’ve gone through this system that is supposed to, you know, help them and also help enforce labor laws. It has a bunch of impacts not just for the workers but for the state as well, because these workers are often really low income. They end up relying on food stamps and other programs that are supported with our tax dollars. Then the state also misses out on payroll taxes. And so it affects people in different ways. And then for the businesses, it’s unfair when a business is following the rules and then, you know, has to spend more money on their workforce following the law. And then they’re competing with businesses that are not doing that. And so it’s cheaper for them. So there’s also an issue of fairness. And leveling the playing field for for business owners is how the county and workers rights advocates and and the folks that are doing this outreach to businesses talk about this problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Why do you think this is happening now and in this place in particular, Santa Clara County?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>This has been a years long push by people who want to see change on wage theft in this state. It’s the most populous county in the Bay Area. There has been a concerted push there, but also in other parts of the state to get local governments to use their authority to, you know, intervene in this problem, help the state with enforcement of labor laws and see some real change, you know, for for workers who who have been victims of wage theft. And then it also sends a really strong message to businesses in the county and employers that somebody is watching and that there are local consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Farida, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Thank you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Farida Jhabvala Romero, a labor correspondent with KQED. This 30-minute conversation with Farida was cut down and edited by producer Maria Esquinca. Alan Montecillo is our senior editor. He scored this episode and added all the tape. And if you haven’t already, please consider leaving The Bay a review on Apple Podcasts. For one, I really like reading them and also it helps other people find our show. The Bay is a production of member supported KQED. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, see you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">California faces a big problem in labor law enforcement: when businesses are found to have committed wage theft, many \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">still \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">don’t pay workers what they’re owed. KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero tells us how Santa Clara County is implementing a local solution to this statewide issue. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"label": "\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2> \u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and welcome to The Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. You would think – hope, even – that if you were a victim of wage theft, that there’s a process in place to help you get what you’re owed. And there is a state agency in California set up for that. It’s just the process doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>There’s only 13 people in the whole state dedicated to helping thousands of these low income workers try to recover that money that the state found their due.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Many businesses that have committed wage theft are often able to avoid settling that debt in California. That’s why officials in Santa Clara County have implemented a local solution to this problem by pushing some local businesses to pay up or lose their right to operate today. How one Bay Area County is helping put money back in the hands of workers.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>So I went to downtown Gilroy and it was a couple of months ago.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Farida Jhabvala Romero is a labor correspondent for KQED.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>It was really hot and super sunny, and I met a group of people who were doing outreach work, partnering with the County of Santa Clara to educate food businesses in that area about their responsibilities as employers. And one of them was Melissa Sanchez. I have a.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>For sure for you here to give to the owner, if you don’t mind.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>She would go into businesses and they would, like start chatting. They’re just trying to tell people what’s going on and also let them know about a county program called the Food Permit Enforcement Program and delivering pamphlets about it.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Melissa Sanchez: \u003c/strong>And your name again? I’m sorry.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ricardo Rivas: \u003c/strong>My name is Ricardo.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Melissa Sanchez: \u003c/strong>Oh, hi, Ricardo. I’m Melissa. Yes.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>One of the people she met was Ricardo Rivas. He’s the manager of a restaurant called Tempo Kitchen and Bar. And Ricardo ended up saying he was very interested in attending the the free training and that he wanted to make sure that the restaurant was treating workers fairly. And then he got information about the food permit wage theft enforcement program as well.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ricardo Rivas: \u003c/strong>There’s so many different things involved with between state and county and federal laws, especially as far as labor goes. So being able to stay compliant with it, ensure that we are treating our workers here fairly and accordance to the law is definitely a major importance for us.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So Melissa and the people that you were out there following were really out there trying to reach out to business owners about this program in Santa Clara County. Before we dig into it, what is the problem that this program is trying to solve?\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>The county started this program because they’re putting some resources down to try to stem labor violations like wage theft, which is when workers are not paid what they’re owed under the law, like meal and rest breaks and overtime, minimum wage. There’s a state agency that investigates those cases When workers complain, it’s called the labor commissioner’s office. There is a list of cases where the Labor commissioner’s office has found that the worker is owed wages by an employer. But many times workers end up not getting any of that money paid. Statewide, the Labor commissioner’s office told us that there are more than 6500 of these cases of people with unpaid judgments that remain open, totaling more than $85 million. And this process, Ericka, can sometimes take years. The state has a very tiny department. It’s called the Judgment Enforcement Unit. They focused on helping low income workers get money back. They’re super understaffed. They said there were 22 positions statewide and only 13 were filled. That means there’s only 13 people in the whole state dedicated to helping thousands of low income workers try to recover that money. People who don’t want to pay will often move money around or put it in somebody else’s name. Close the business, declare bankruptcy. You know, it can be a really long, you know, process. So a lot of people end up just, you know, never seeing that money ever again.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This has been a problem that a lot of people have been talking about in Santa Clara County. Right.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Workers rights advocates in the county have been pushing for years to get more local city and county governments involved. The way they see it, as often, there aren’t enough consequences when businesses are found to owe workers wages.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth Silver Taube: \u003c/strong>I believe it’s a business model.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Ruth Silver Taube is an attorney who coordinates the Santa Clara County Wage Theft Coalition.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth Silver Taube: \u003c/strong>There’s a subset of businesses that just don’t want to pay these judgments because they want to make more money for themselves.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>So these worker advocates, like they’ve been pushing for more local consequences for businesses who have these unpaid judgments with the labor commissioner’s office.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth Silver Taube: \u003c/strong>We do need more enforcement that that to me, is a huge problem because even if you win, it doesn’t matter. The worker needs that money. We need that money in the worker’s pockets.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What role exactly is the county playing in this and what are they doing?\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>What the county does is they regularly get a list of all these businesses in the states with unpaid judgments. Then they figure out which ones are food businesses with permits in the county. They target the person named in the in the actual judgment. Then they’ll send the business a letter. And if the business doesn’t respond in 45 days, the county can take their permit to operate away.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Jessie Yu: \u003c/strong>The county focuses on food from its because we see a nexus between vulnerable worker populations and a large number of labor violations in the food retail industry.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Jesse Yu heads the county’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. The county is in charge of issuing these food permits. So the way they think about it is, well, the businesses need to comply with all the laws, and that includes making sure they don’t have any of these unpaid judgments, that they don’t owe money to the state or workers in the county.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Jessie Yu; \u003c/strong>That’s exactly kind of where we see we fit in is just really complementing and supporting the federal and state process. Because even though a judgment is issued, sometimes the business doesn’t pay. And so we’re hoping to leverage our food permits to ensure that payment happens.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>It’s definitely a very different message when the county is threatening to revoke your permit to operate, you know, you would have to close your business if you don’t have this permit. And so it is creating more local consequences for for these businesses.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>As I understand it, this program has actually been pretty successful, it seems like, at getting wages back into the hands of workers. I believe that the number is $125,000. Is that right?\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah. They’ve said they’ve recovered $125,000 so far. It’s definitely, you know, nothing to sniff out, especially for the workers who were able to actually recover, you know, thousands of dollars on wages they were owed. I did get in touch with workers who got money after the food permit program got involved in their cases, but none of them wanted to speak publicly. You know, they did not want to be quoted because they didn’t want to be associated with a wage dispute. And, you know, sometimes their former employers in the same community had one worker tell me that their employer goes to her church. Businesses that paid these judgments after the food permit enforcement program sent them letters. You know, we’re in touch with them. They also didn’t want to be quoted or identified in the story.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Zooming out, Farida, I’m curious how unique a program like this is. The people who follow.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Labor enforcement nationally that I talked to said this was a pretty unique program in the sense that the county is actively trying to identify and reach out to businesses doing investigations of their own, sometimes into a business, and also having this big outreach component. So, you know, it sounds like Santa Clara is trying something new. I heard words like innovative, you know, like pretty unique. That’s how people describe the county’s work on this.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Are there other cities that have tried to do something like this?\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Outside of Santa Clara, there’s other types of efforts I’ve seen. Like recently, San Diego County launched a new program called the Workplace Justice Fund. And so what the county is trying to do there is identifying workers who have these unpaid judgments in San Diego County. The county will front them up to $3,000 to help them stabilize financially. And at the same time, the county has its own collections agency, you know, with professional people who do this for a living, you know, And so they’ll take over the workers case, you know, and try to help them recover funds.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, what would it take to get something like this going on a larger scale for you to.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>I think what would it would take is just counties elsewhere deciding that they they want to try this out. You know, our feeling that this is a big enough problem for them that they that they want to focus on it in this way. You know.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Or a big enough priority.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Exactly. Like the situation of of having workers who’ve gone through this system that is supposed to, you know, help them and also help enforce labor laws. It has a bunch of impacts not just for the workers but for the state as well, because these workers are often really low income. They end up relying on food stamps and other programs that are supported with our tax dollars. Then the state also misses out on payroll taxes. And so it affects people in different ways. And then for the businesses, it’s unfair when a business is following the rules and then, you know, has to spend more money on their workforce following the law. And then they’re competing with businesses that are not doing that. And so it’s cheaper for them. So there’s also an issue of fairness. And leveling the playing field for for business owners is how the county and workers rights advocates and and the folks that are doing this outreach to businesses talk about this problem.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Why do you think this is happening now and in this place in particular, Santa Clara County?\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>This has been a years long push by people who want to see change on wage theft in this state. It’s the most populous county in the Bay Area. There has been a concerted push there, but also in other parts of the state to get local governments to use their authority to, you know, intervene in this problem, help the state with enforcement of labor laws and see some real change, you know, for for workers who who have been victims of wage theft. And then it also sends a really strong message to businesses in the county and employers that somebody is watching and that there are local consequences.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Farida, thank you so much.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Thank you.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Farida Jhabvala Romero, a labor correspondent with KQED. This 30-minute conversation with Farida was cut down and edited by producer Maria Esquinca. Alan Montecillo is our senior editor. He scored this episode and added all the tape. And if you haven’t already, please consider leaving The Bay a review on Apple Podcasts. For one, I really like reading them and also it helps other people find our show. The Bay is a production of member supported KQED. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, see you next time.\u003c/p> \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/p>\u003c/div> \u003cp>[ad fullwidth"
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"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>For",
"sure",
"for",
"you",
"here",
"to",
"give",
"to",
"the",
"owner,",
"if",
"you",
"don’t",
"mind.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>She",
"would",
"go",
"into",
"businesses",
"and",
"they",
"would,",
"like",
"start",
"chatting.",
"They’re",
"just",
"trying",
"to",
"tell",
"people",
"what’s",
"going",
"on",
"and",
"also",
"let",
"them",
"know",
"about",
"a",
"county",
"program",
"called",
"the",
"Food",
"Permit",
"Enforcement",
"Program",
"and",
"delivering",
"pamphlets",
"about",
"it.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Melissa",
"Sanchez:",
"\u003c/strong>And",
"your",
"name",
"again?",
"I’m",
"sorry.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ricardo",
"Rivas:",
"\u003c/strong>My",
"name",
"is",
"Ricardo.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Melissa",
"Sanchez:",
"\u003c/strong>Oh,",
"hi,",
"Ricardo.",
"I’m",
"Melissa.",
"Yes.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>One",
"of",
"the",
"people",
"she",
"met",
"was",
"Ricardo",
"Rivas.",
"He’s",
"the",
"manager",
"of",
"a",
"restaurant",
"called",
"Tempo",
"Kitchen",
"and",
"Bar.",
"And",
"Ricardo",
"ended",
"up",
"saying",
"he",
"was",
"very",
"interested",
"in",
"attending",
"the",
"the",
"free",
"training",
"and",
"that",
"he",
"wanted",
"to",
"make",
"sure",
"that",
"the",
"restaurant",
"was",
"treating",
"workers",
"fairly.",
"And",
"then",
"he",
"got",
"information",
"about",
"the",
"food",
"permit",
"wage",
"theft",
"enforcement",
"program",
"as",
"well.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ricardo",
"Rivas:",
"\u003c/strong>There’s",
"so",
"many",
"different",
"things",
"involved",
"with",
"between",
"state",
"and",
"county",
"and",
"federal",
"laws,",
"especially",
"as",
"far",
"as",
"labor",
"goes.",
"So",
"being",
"able",
"to",
"stay",
"compliant",
"with",
"it,",
"ensure",
"that",
"we",
"are",
"treating",
"our",
"workers",
"here",
"fairly",
"and",
"accordance",
"to",
"the",
"law",
"is",
"definitely",
"a",
"major",
"importance",
"for",
"us.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>So",
"Melissa",
"and",
"the",
"people",
"that",
"you",
"were",
"out",
"there",
"following",
"were",
"really",
"out",
"there",
"trying",
"to",
"reach",
"out",
"to",
"business",
"owners",
"about",
"this",
"program",
"in",
"Santa",
"Clara",
"County.",
"Before",
"we",
"dig",
"into",
"it,",
"what",
"is",
"the",
"problem",
"that",
"this",
"program",
"is",
"trying",
"to",
"solve?\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>The",
"county",
"started",
"this",
"program",
"because",
"they’re",
"putting",
"some",
"resources",
"down",
"to",
"try",
"to",
"stem",
"labor",
"violations",
"like",
"wage",
"theft,",
"which",
"is",
"when",
"workers",
"are",
"not",
"paid",
"what",
"they’re",
"owed",
"under",
"the",
"law,",
"like",
"meal",
"and",
"rest",
"breaks",
"and",
"overtime,",
"minimum",
"wage.",
"There’s",
"a",
"state",
"agency",
"that",
"investigates",
"those",
"cases",
"When",
"workers",
"complain,",
"it’s",
"called",
"the",
"labor",
"commissioner’s",
"office.",
"There",
"is",
"a",
"list",
"of",
"cases",
"where",
"the",
"Labor",
"commissioner’s",
"office",
"has",
"found",
"that",
"the",
"worker",
"is",
"owed",
"wages",
"by",
"an",
"employer.",
"But",
"many",
"times",
"workers",
"end",
"up",
"not",
"getting",
"any",
"of",
"that",
"money",
"paid.",
"Statewide,",
"the",
"Labor",
"commissioner’s",
"office",
"told",
"us",
"that",
"there",
"are",
"more",
"than",
"6500",
"of",
"these",
"cases",
"of",
"people",
"with",
"unpaid",
"judgments",
"that",
"remain",
"open,",
"totaling",
"more",
"than",
"$85",
"million.",
"And",
"this",
"process,",
"Ericka,",
"can",
"sometimes",
"take",
"years.",
"The",
"state",
"has",
"a",
"very",
"tiny",
"department.",
"It’s",
"called",
"the",
"Judgment",
"Enforcement",
"Unit.",
"They",
"focused",
"on",
"helping",
"low",
"income",
"workers",
"get",
"money",
"back.",
"They’re",
"super",
"understaffed.",
"They",
"said",
"there",
"were",
"22",
"positions",
"statewide",
"and",
"only",
"13",
"were",
"filled.",
"That",
"means",
"there’s",
"only",
"13",
"people",
"in",
"the",
"whole",
"state",
"dedicated",
"to",
"helping",
"thousands",
"of",
"low",
"income",
"workers",
"try",
"to",
"recover",
"that",
"money.",
"People",
"who",
"don’t",
"want",
"to",
"pay",
"will",
"often",
"move",
"money",
"around",
"or",
"put",
"it",
"in",
"somebody",
"else’s",
"name.",
"Close",
"the",
"business,",
"declare",
"bankruptcy.",
"You",
"know,",
"it",
"can",
"be",
"a",
"really",
"long,",
"you",
"know,",
"process.",
"So",
"a",
"lot",
"of",
"people",
"end",
"up",
"just,",
"you",
"know,",
"never",
"seeing",
"that",
"money",
"ever",
"again.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>This",
"has",
"been",
"a",
"problem",
"that",
"a",
"lot",
"of",
"people",
"have",
"been",
"talking",
"about",
"in",
"Santa",
"Clara",
"County.",
"Right.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>Workers",
"rights",
"advocates",
"in",
"the",
"county",
"have",
"been",
"pushing",
"for",
"years",
"to",
"get",
"more",
"local",
"city",
"and",
"county",
"governments",
"involved.",
"The",
"way",
"they",
"see",
"it,",
"as",
"often,",
"there",
"aren’t",
"enough",
"consequences",
"when",
"businesses",
"are",
"found",
"to",
"owe",
"workers",
"wages.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth",
"Silver",
"Taube:",
"\u003c/strong>I",
"believe",
"it’s",
"a",
"business",
"model.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>Ruth",
"Silver",
"Taube",
"is",
"an",
"attorney",
"who",
"coordinates",
"the",
"Santa",
"Clara",
"County",
"Wage",
"Theft",
"Coalition.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth",
"Silver",
"Taube:",
"\u003c/strong>There’s",
"a",
"subset",
"of",
"businesses",
"that",
"just",
"don’t",
"want",
"to",
"pay",
"these",
"judgments",
"because",
"they",
"want",
"to",
"make",
"more",
"money",
"for",
"themselves.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>So",
"these",
"worker",
"advocates,",
"like",
"they’ve",
"been",
"pushing",
"for",
"more",
"local",
"consequences",
"for",
"businesses",
"who",
"have",
"these",
"unpaid",
"judgments",
"with",
"the",
"labor",
"commissioner’s",
"office.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ruth",
"Silver",
"Taube:",
"\u003c/strong>We",
"do",
"need",
"more",
"enforcement",
"that",
"that",
"to",
"me,",
"is",
"a",
"huge",
"problem",
"because",
"even",
"if",
"you",
"win,",
"it",
"doesn’t",
"matter.",
"The",
"worker",
"needs",
"that",
"money.",
"We",
"need",
"that",
"money",
"in",
"the",
"worker’s",
"pockets.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>What",
"role",
"exactly",
"is",
"the",
"county",
"playing",
"in",
"this",
"and",
"what",
"are",
"they",
"doing?\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>What",
"the",
"county",
"does",
"is",
"they",
"regularly",
"get",
"a",
"list",
"of",
"all",
"these",
"businesses",
"in",
"the",
"states",
"with",
"unpaid",
"judgments.",
"Then",
"they",
"figure",
"out",
"which",
"ones",
"are",
"food",
"businesses",
"with",
"permits",
"in",
"the",
"county.",
"They",
"target",
"the",
"person",
"named",
"in",
"the",
"in",
"the",
"actual",
"judgment.",
"Then",
"they’ll",
"send",
"the",
"business",
"a",
"letter.",
"And",
"if",
"the",
"business",
"doesn’t",
"respond",
"in",
"45",
"days,",
"the",
"county",
"can",
"take",
"their",
"permit",
"to",
"operate",
"away.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Jessie",
"Yu:",
"\u003c/strong>The",
"county",
"focuses",
"on",
"food",
"from",
"its",
"because",
"we",
"see",
"a",
"nexus",
"between",
"vulnerable",
"worker",
"populations",
"and",
"a",
"large",
"number",
"of",
"labor",
"violations",
"in",
"the",
"food",
"retail",
"industry.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>Jesse",
"Yu",
"heads",
"the",
"county’s",
"Office",
"of",
"Labor",
"Standards",
"Enforcement.",
"The",
"county",
"is",
"in",
"charge",
"of",
"issuing",
"these",
"food",
"permits.",
"So",
"the",
"way",
"they",
"think",
"about",
"it",
"is,",
"well,",
"the",
"businesses",
"need",
"to",
"comply",
"with",
"all",
"the",
"laws,",
"and",
"that",
"includes",
"making",
"sure",
"they",
"don’t",
"have",
"any",
"of",
"these",
"unpaid",
"judgments,",
"that",
"they",
"don’t",
"owe",
"money",
"to",
"the",
"state",
"or",
"workers",
"in",
"the",
"county.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Jessie",
"Yu;",
"\u003c/strong>That’s",
"exactly",
"kind",
"of",
"where",
"we",
"see",
"we",
"fit",
"in",
"is",
"just",
"really",
"complementing",
"and",
"supporting",
"the",
"federal",
"and",
"state",
"process.",
"Because",
"even",
"though",
"a",
"judgment",
"is",
"issued,",
"sometimes",
"the",
"business",
"doesn’t",
"pay.",
"And",
"so",
"we’re",
"hoping",
"to",
"leverage",
"our",
"food",
"permits",
"to",
"ensure",
"that",
"payment",
"happens.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>It’s",
"definitely",
"a",
"very",
"different",
"message",
"when",
"the",
"county",
"is",
"threatening",
"to",
"revoke",
"your",
"permit",
"to",
"operate,",
"you",
"know,",
"you",
"would",
"have",
"to",
"close",
"your",
"business",
"if",
"you",
"don’t",
"have",
"this",
"permit.",
"And",
"so",
"it",
"is",
"creating",
"more",
"local",
"consequences",
"for",
"for",
"these",
"businesses.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>As",
"I",
"understand",
"it,",
"this",
"program",
"has",
"actually",
"been",
"pretty",
"successful,",
"it",
"seems",
"like,",
"at",
"getting",
"wages",
"back",
"into",
"the",
"hands",
"of",
"workers.",
"I",
"believe",
"that",
"the",
"number",
"is",
"$125,000.",
"Is",
"that",
"right?\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>Yeah.",
"They’ve",
"said",
"they’ve",
"recovered",
"$125,000",
"so",
"far.",
"It’s",
"definitely,",
"you",
"know,",
"nothing",
"to",
"sniff",
"out,",
"especially",
"for",
"the",
"workers",
"who",
"were",
"able",
"to",
"actually",
"recover,",
"you",
"know,",
"thousands",
"of",
"dollars",
"on",
"wages",
"they",
"were",
"owed.",
"I",
"did",
"get",
"in",
"touch",
"with",
"workers",
"who",
"got",
"money",
"after",
"the",
"food",
"permit",
"program",
"got",
"involved",
"in",
"their",
"cases,",
"but",
"none",
"of",
"them",
"wanted",
"to",
"speak",
"publicly.",
"You",
"know,",
"they",
"did",
"not",
"want",
"to",
"be",
"quoted",
"because",
"they",
"didn’t",
"want",
"to",
"be",
"associated",
"with",
"a",
"wage",
"dispute.",
"And,",
"you",
"know,",
"sometimes",
"their",
"former",
"employers",
"in",
"the",
"same",
"community",
"had",
"one",
"worker",
"tell",
"me",
"that",
"their",
"employer",
"goes",
"to",
"her",
"church.",
"Businesses",
"that",
"paid",
"these",
"judgments",
"after",
"the",
"food",
"permit",
"enforcement",
"program",
"sent",
"them",
"letters.",
"You",
"know,",
"we’re",
"in",
"touch",
"with",
"them.",
"They",
"also",
"didn’t",
"want",
"to",
"be",
"quoted",
"or",
"identified",
"in",
"the",
"story.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>Zooming",
"out,",
"Farida,",
"I’m",
"curious",
"how",
"unique",
"a",
"program",
"like",
"this",
"is.",
"The",
"people",
"who",
"follow.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>Labor",
"enforcement",
"nationally",
"that",
"I",
"talked",
"to",
"said",
"this",
"was",
"a",
"pretty",
"unique",
"program",
"in",
"the",
"sense",
"that",
"the",
"county",
"is",
"actively",
"trying",
"to",
"identify",
"and",
"reach",
"out",
"to",
"businesses",
"doing",
"investigations",
"of",
"their",
"own,",
"sometimes",
"into",
"a",
"business,",
"and",
"also",
"having",
"this",
"big",
"outreach",
"component.",
"So,",
"you",
"know,",
"it",
"sounds",
"like",
"Santa",
"Clara",
"is",
"trying",
"something",
"new.",
"I",
"heard",
"words",
"like",
"innovative,",
"you",
"know,",
"like",
"pretty",
"unique.",
"That’s",
"how",
"people",
"describe",
"the",
"county’s",
"work",
"on",
"this.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>Are",
"there",
"other",
"cities",
"that",
"have",
"tried",
"to",
"do",
"something",
"like",
"this?\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>Outside",
"of",
"Santa",
"Clara,",
"there’s",
"other",
"types",
"of",
"efforts",
"I’ve",
"seen.",
"Like",
"recently,",
"San",
"Diego",
"County",
"launched",
"a",
"new",
"program",
"called",
"the",
"Workplace",
"Justice",
"Fund.",
"And",
"so",
"what",
"the",
"county",
"is",
"trying",
"to",
"do",
"there",
"is",
"identifying",
"workers",
"who",
"have",
"these",
"unpaid",
"judgments",
"in",
"San",
"Diego",
"County.",
"The",
"county",
"will",
"front",
"them",
"up",
"to",
"$3,000",
"to",
"help",
"them",
"stabilize",
"financially.",
"And",
"at",
"the",
"same",
"time,",
"the",
"county",
"has",
"its",
"own",
"collections",
"agency,",
"you",
"know,",
"with",
"professional",
"people",
"who",
"do",
"this",
"for",
"a",
"living,",
"you",
"know,",
"And",
"so",
"they’ll",
"take",
"over",
"the",
"workers",
"case,",
"you",
"know,",
"and",
"try",
"to",
"help",
"them",
"recover",
"funds.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>Well,",
"what",
"would",
"it",
"take",
"to",
"get",
"something",
"like",
"this",
"going",
"on",
"a",
"larger",
"scale",
"for",
"you",
"to.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>I",
"think",
"what",
"would",
"it",
"would",
"take",
"is",
"just",
"counties",
"elsewhere",
"deciding",
"that",
"they",
"they",
"want",
"to",
"try",
"this",
"out.",
"You",
"know,",
"our",
"feeling",
"that",
"this",
"is",
"a",
"big",
"enough",
"problem",
"for",
"them",
"that",
"they",
"that",
"they",
"want",
"to",
"focus",
"on",
"it",
"in",
"this",
"way.",
"You",
"know.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>Or",
"a",
"big",
"enough",
"priority.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>Exactly.",
"Like",
"the",
"situation",
"of",
"of",
"having",
"workers",
"who’ve",
"gone",
"through",
"this",
"system",
"that",
"is",
"supposed",
"to,",
"you",
"know,",
"help",
"them",
"and",
"also",
"help",
"enforce",
"labor",
"laws.",
"It",
"has",
"a",
"bunch",
"of",
"impacts",
"not",
"just",
"for",
"the",
"workers",
"but",
"for",
"the",
"state",
"as",
"well,",
"because",
"these",
"workers",
"are",
"often",
"really",
"low",
"income.",
"They",
"end",
"up",
"relying",
"on",
"food",
"stamps",
"and",
"other",
"programs",
"that",
"are",
"supported",
"with",
"our",
"tax",
"dollars.",
"Then",
"the",
"state",
"also",
"misses",
"out",
"on",
"payroll",
"taxes.",
"And",
"so",
"it",
"affects",
"people",
"in",
"different",
"ways.",
"And",
"then",
"for",
"the",
"businesses,",
"it’s",
"unfair",
"when",
"a",
"business",
"is",
"following",
"the",
"rules",
"and",
"then,",
"you",
"know,",
"has",
"to",
"spend",
"more",
"money",
"on",
"their",
"workforce",
"following",
"the",
"law.",
"And",
"then",
"they’re",
"competing",
"with",
"businesses",
"that",
"are",
"not",
"doing",
"that.",
"And",
"so",
"it’s",
"cheaper",
"for",
"them.",
"So",
"there’s",
"also",
"an",
"issue",
"of",
"fairness.",
"And",
"leveling",
"the",
"playing",
"field",
"for",
"for",
"business",
"owners",
"is",
"how",
"the",
"county",
"and",
"workers",
"rights",
"advocates",
"and",
"and",
"the",
"folks",
"that",
"are",
"doing",
"this",
"outreach",
"to",
"businesses",
"talk",
"about",
"this",
"problem.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>Why",
"do",
"you",
"think",
"this",
"is",
"happening",
"now",
"and",
"in",
"this",
"place",
"in",
"particular,",
"Santa",
"Clara",
"County?\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>This",
"has",
"been",
"a",
"years",
"long",
"push",
"by",
"people",
"who",
"want",
"to",
"see",
"change",
"on",
"wage",
"theft",
"in",
"this",
"state.",
"It’s",
"the",
"most",
"populous",
"county",
"in",
"the",
"Bay",
"Area.",
"There",
"has",
"been",
"a",
"concerted",
"push",
"there,",
"but",
"also",
"in",
"other",
"parts",
"of",
"the",
"state",
"to",
"get",
"local",
"governments",
"to",
"use",
"their",
"authority",
"to,",
"you",
"know,",
"intervene",
"in",
"this",
"problem,",
"help",
"the",
"state",
"with",
"enforcement",
"of",
"labor",
"laws",
"and",
"see",
"some",
"real",
"change,",
"you",
"know,",
"for",
"for",
"workers",
"who",
"who",
"have",
"been",
"victims",
"of",
"wage",
"theft.",
"And",
"then",
"it",
"also",
"sends",
"a",
"really",
"strong",
"message",
"to",
"businesses",
"in",
"the",
"county",
"and",
"employers",
"that",
"somebody",
"is",
"watching",
"and",
"that",
"there",
"are",
"local",
"consequences.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>Well,",
"Farida,",
"thank",
"you",
"so",
"much.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero:",
"\u003c/strong>Thank",
"you.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">\u003cstrong>Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra:",
"\u003c/strong>That",
"was",
"Farida",
"Jhabvala",
"Romero,",
"a",
"labor",
"correspondent",
"with",
"KQED.",
"This",
"30-minute",
"conversation",
"with",
"Farida",
"was",
"cut",
"down",
"and",
"edited",
"by",
"producer",
"Maria",
"Esquinca.",
"Alan",
"Montecillo",
"is",
"our",
"senior",
"editor.",
"He",
"scored",
"this",
"episode",
"and",
"added",
"all",
"the",
"tape.",
"And",
"if",
"you",
"haven’t",
"already,",
"please",
"consider",
"leaving",
"The",
"Bay",
"a",
"review",
"on",
"Apple",
"Podcasts.",
"For",
"one,",
"I",
"really",
"like",
"reading",
"them",
"and",
"also",
"it",
"helps",
"other",
"people",
"find",
"our",
"show.",
"The",
"Bay",
"is",
"a",
"production",
"of",
"member",
"supported",
"KQED.",
"I’m",
"Ericka",
"Cruz",
"Guevarra,",
"see",
"you",
"next",
"time.\u003c/p>",
"\u003cp",
"style=\"font-weight:",
"400\">",
"\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "guide-unsafe-working-conditions-employer-retaliation-and-worker-protections",
"title": "California Farmworkers Guide to Unsafe Working Conditions and Worker Protections",
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"headTitle": "California Farmworkers Guide to Unsafe Working Conditions and Worker Protections | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960536/trabaja-en-los-campos-de-california-que-hacer-si-sufre-represalias\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty-one immigrant farmworkers will collectively receive $328,077 from their former employer, Mauritson Farms, a Sonoma County vineyard company, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">after the grower reached a settlement with state labor regulators\u003c/a> earlier this summer. Officials with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) announced in July that their investigation determined Mauritson Farms retaliated against the workers — who were in the U.S. on H-2A visas — after they spoke up about unsafe conditions in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such incidents of employer retaliation against workers who speak up are unfortunately not rare. In the agriculture industry, many workers get punished by their boss — or the person that connected them to employment — after they request a better or safer workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to specific advice: \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#unsafe\">What’s considered ‘unsafe working conditions’ for farmworkers?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#retaliation\">What is retaliation by an employer?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#undocumented\">Do these protections still apply for undocumented employees?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#enforce\">Which agencies enforce labor rules in California?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#speakingup\">I believe my employer retaliated against me for speaking up about conditions at work. What should I do?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#options\">I am nervous about my immigration situation if I report what happened at work. What are my options?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In California, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against their employee, regardless of their immigration or documentation status. But that still doesn’t prevent some growers from punishing workers that speak up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why we have created this guide to inform farmworkers about their rights and protections. When you work in the fields, even if you are in the United States without documentation, your employer needs to respect your rights — and this is how they can be held accountable if they don’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"unsafe\">\u003c/a>What’s considered unsafe working conditions for farmworkers?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/ag-field-operations.pdf\">a complex set of rules for what a safe working environment is in the agriculture industry (PDF)\u003c/a>, which cover things like worker safety during wildfires, handling farm machinery, and even in the case of dairies and grain facilities, how to prevent accidents in confined spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">how hot it is\u003c/a>, employers must always provide farmworkers with enough drinking water near their stations. Each employee should have access to at least one quart of water every hour. And even if folks bring their own water bottles, employers must still have enough water available on site.[aside postID=news_11886628]When temperatures rise above 80 degrees, employers must also provide an area with enough shade to accommodate every worker on-site. On days hotter than 95 degrees, supervisors must check in with laborers consistently throughout the day and ensure workers take breaks that are at least 10 minutes long every 2 hours to prevent overheating. Just “offering” these breaks is not sufficient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These heat-safety rules apply to workers in all industries, not just the agricultural sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#tellus\">Tell us: What else do you need information about right now?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"retaliation\">\u003c/a>What is retaliation by an employer?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, retaliation means when an employer fires, punishes or cuts the wages or hours of a worker because that individual sought to improve their working conditions. This includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">cases of growers refusing to rehire seasonal workers for the next harvest after they have spoken up\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asking your boss to improve working conditions doesn’t have to be something big like organizing a strike or a march. It can also include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Asking for more water and shade to be provided on very hot days.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Asking for equipment necessary to keep you safe when working in the fields.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pointing out that some of your wages are missing.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If there is a law concerning your safety, your labor rights or your wages that your employer is not following, you should be able to talk about it with your boss freely and safely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"undocumented\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Do these protections still apply for undocumented employees?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes. California’s safety rules benefit all workers, regardless of their immigration status. Your employer cannot use your immigration status as a reason to exclude you from safety protections.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jessica Arciniega, regional director, ALRB\"]‘Immigration status, if that’s an issue, is not anything that our office asks folks about.’[/pullquote]Additionally, undocumented workers can still seek help from state agencies that enforce labor protections — that is, being undocumented doesn’t disqualify them from seeking (and getting) this help from the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Immigration status, if that’s an issue, is not anything that our office asks folks about,” confirmed Jessica Arciniega, regional director of the ALRB, which investigates possible workplace abuses in the agricultural industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"withoutcontract\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Do these protections still apply for those working without a formal contract?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re working for an individual or a business without a formal job contract, labor rights experts say that these protections still apply to you — as long as it can be proven that you, as a worker, have provided labor in exchange for payment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, that proof could include written communication between a worker and an employer — like an email, or a text message — that confirms that an exchange of services for payment took place.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"enforce\">\u003c/a>Which agencies enforce labor rules in California?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are three state agencies that investigate labor violations and have the authority to penalize bad employers. All three agencies can investigate cases in the agricultural industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Agricultural Labor Relations Board\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ALRB was created in 1975 after then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975. This legislation also defines what an unfair labor practice is: actions taken by an employer that violate the rights of farmworkers, which includes retaliation — firing or cutting the wages of employees who ask for better working conditions. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#speakingup\">Jump straight to what you can do if you believe your employer has retaliated against you.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would encourage anybody that’s considering whether or not their rights were violated to call our office,” said the ALRB’s Arciniega. “Not only is our staff bilingual, but they’re culturally competent. Many of them, their families or past generations have worked in agriculture or are farmworkers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can contact the ALRB directly by calling 1-800-449-3699 or \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">reach out to its regional offices located in Santa Rosa, Salinas, Visalia, Oxnard and Indio\u003c/a>. Bay Area workers should contact the Santa Rosa office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An ALRB official can talk to you more about workplace safety rules and your rights as a worker specific to your situation. Additionally, they can explain how you can file an unfair labor practice charge against your employer which could set off a formal investigation of your employer by the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Division of Occupational Safety and Health\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA creates and enforces the state’s rules on workplace safety, making sure that employees are not exposed to dangerous chemicals or placed in risky situations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your boss is making you or your colleagues do something you are not sure is safe, you can check in with the agency by calling (833) 579-0927.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Labor Commissioner’s Office\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s Office — which is also known as the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) — is the part of California’s Department of Industrial Relations that looks into wage theft and retaliation by employers against workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you think your boss is not paying you correctly for the hours you work or refuses to pay you for overtime, this is the agency you should contact.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"speakingup\">\u003c/a>I believe my employer retaliated against me for speaking up about conditions at work. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pause while you document everything.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you just lost your job or wages, and you think it’s because of retaliation, first take some time to process the situation, and collect your thoughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d recommend folks to write down everything they remember that led up to this, because with the strong feelings you have at the moment, it is easy to forget important details,” said Ana Salgado, former farmworker and board member of North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ), a labor rights group that assisted the former employees of Mauritson Farms in their case with the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Believe in yourself and in what you know happened to you,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Collect past evidence\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As you’re jotting down your experiences, also look for written messages between you and your employer where you describe conditions at work and your supervisor’s response. This could be letters, emails or even screenshots of a text message conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other important pieces of information to look for are your pay stubs that show a cut in wages or hours after you spoke, or photos of conditions in the fields, your workstation or housing, if it’s employer-provided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"laborrightsgroups\">\u003c/a>Seek help from the professionals\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Salgado also recommends looking for the help of a labor rights organization in your area. Advocates can help you create a timeline of what happened, help you contact your employer if you want to try resolving the situation directly, or even prepare you for talking to state officials if you choose to take that step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on their resources, like staff numbers, some groups can provide more help than others. So if you think you may need extra guidance and support, consider reaching out to more than one organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are some organizations in the Bay Area that can connect farmworkers with help:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>California Rural Legal Assistance: (800) 337-0690\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Legal Aid at Work: (415) 864-8208\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>North Bay Organizing Project: (707) 843-7858\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Asian Americans Advancing Justice/Asian Law Caucus: (415) 896-1701\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland): (510) 437-1554\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>La Raza Centro Legal (San Francisco): (415) 575-3500\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"fileclaim\">\u003c/a>I want to file a claim so officials can investigate my situation. What’s next?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you are ready to report what happened, the ALRB will be the agency you contact. You will need a \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/196/2018/05/alrb_form38_en.pdf\">Charge Against Employer form (PDF)\u003c/a>, which you need to print out, complete and either email or mail to your \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">nearest ALRB field office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Bay Area residents, that’s the Santa Rosa office:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Phone: (707) 527-3256\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Email: Contact regional director Jessica Arciniega at \u003ca href=\"Jessica.Arciniega@alrb.ca.gov\">Jessica.Arciniega@alrb.ca.gov\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Mail: 606 Healdsburg Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95401\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If you need to complete the form in another language that is not English, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">reach out to your nearest field office directly\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that the ALRB requires at least two workers to come together to file a charge. If you are nervous about this step, a workers’ rights group can file a charge on your behalf — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">which is what happened in the Mauritson Farms case\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why you should file a charge as soon as possible (even if you’re anxious)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Labor advocates recommend employees report what happened to them as soon as they can. This gives state officials more time to talk to laborers and investigate what happened in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timing becomes even more important when farmworkers are in the country on a temporary work permit, like the H-2A visa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is completely understandable if you are feeling very nervous about filing a report — especially if you are afraid your employer or the person that got you the job is threatening you with further retaliation. But keep in mind that there is a time limit to report an incident with the state. You only have six months from the moment you experienced retaliation (when your hours were cut, or you were fired or knew you would not be rehired) to file a charge with the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the six-month mark, officials cannot launch an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if your boss — or the individual that connected you with employment, like a job recruiter — continues to threaten you with further retaliation if you talk to the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this case, it could be a good idea to seek help from a labor rights group to protect yourself. \u003ca href=\"#laborrightsgroups\">See a list of labor rights groups you can contact.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Once I file a charge with the ALRB, what happens?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The agency assesses your case.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials will first decide if your situation meets the requirements to begin an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some examples of when the ALRB wouldn’t be able to take your case: if you were fired — two years ago — and you think your boss did that to retaliate against you, that exceeds the ALRB’s six-month time limit and the agency cannot launch an investigation. Or if the incident took place in a farm in another state, that is also out of the ALRB’s jurisdiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An investigation begins, and your employer is notified.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the agency is able to take the case, ALRB officials will confirm that with you. They will then notify your employer about the charge, and that an investigation will begin, says ALRB General Counsel Julia Montgomery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A team of lawyers and investigators will take on the investigation, which can include the workers involved in the investigation, other employees, supervisors and anyone else that could have relevant information,” said Montgomery. Investigators can also request documents and other written records from both employers and workers, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This step can take months, or even years. If you are no longer in the U.S. during the investigation because of your immigration situation, the ALRB will still look to contact you. In past cases, agency officials have sought out farmworkers even when they have traveled back to remote rural communities in their countries of origin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A decision is made about the charge.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the investigation, officials will determine if there is enough evidence to confirm if retaliation or another unfair labor practice took place. If there is not enough evidence, the charge is dismissed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the evidence is sufficient, however, the ALRB regional director will present a formal complaint against the employer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, hold on, that doesn’t mean you have won your case yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How the ALRB brings a case against an employer\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A date for a hearing will be set and an administrative judge will decide whether the employer did in fact break the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides will have an opportunity to defend their case: your employer and their legal representatives, and the ALRB which will argue that you experienced retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the judge decides in favor of the ALRB and the employees involved, workers can receive compensation to make up for lost wages and potentially even be re-employed if they lost their jobs. ALRB officials will travel to the farm and inform other employees of the case. Additionally, employers could face heavy fines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At any step of the process, the ALRB can strike a settlement agreement with the employer. A settlement can also include compensation for the affected workers or even employment offers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"options\">\u003c/a>I am nervous about my immigration situation if I report what happened at work. What are my options?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On July 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">$4.5 million pilot program to provide free immigration legal services to farmworkers who are involved in state labor investigations\u003c/a>. This would include case-review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney to laborers in California who have a pending case with either the ALRB, the Labor Commissioner’s Office or Cal/OSHA.[aside postID=news_11956315]The goal of this program, officials say, is to address one of the fears that prevents employees from speaking up — the fear of losing their visa or not being rehired — by connecting them to immigration experts who could help them find ways to stay in this country. And earlier this year, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940316/fear-of-deportation-keeps-some-workers-from-reporting-labor-abuses-a-new-biden-program-aims-to-change-that\">Biden administration unveiled a new, streamlined “deferred action” initiative\u003c/a> that allows workers to apply for a work permit and two years of protection from deportation, if they are cooperating with a labor rights investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To learn more about the pilot program and whether your case could qualify for free legal services from the state, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">talk to your ALRB field office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2023. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger, and help us decide what to cover here on our site, and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[hearken id=\"10483\" src=\"https://modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/embed/10483.js\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In California, it's illegal for an employer to retaliate against workers, regardless of immigration or documentation status. Still, some employers punish workers for speaking up. Here's what you can do.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960536/trabaja-en-los-campos-de-california-que-hacer-si-sufre-represalias\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty-one immigrant farmworkers will collectively receive $328,077 from their former employer, Mauritson Farms, a Sonoma County vineyard company, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">after the grower reached a settlement with state labor regulators\u003c/a> earlier this summer. Officials with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) announced in July that their investigation determined Mauritson Farms retaliated against the workers — who were in the U.S. on H-2A visas — after they spoke up about unsafe conditions in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such incidents of employer retaliation against workers who speak up are unfortunately not rare. In the agriculture industry, many workers get punished by their boss — or the person that connected them to employment — after they request a better or safer workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to specific advice: \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#unsafe\">What’s considered ‘unsafe working conditions’ for farmworkers?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#retaliation\">What is retaliation by an employer?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#undocumented\">Do these protections still apply for undocumented employees?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#enforce\">Which agencies enforce labor rules in California?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#speakingup\">I believe my employer retaliated against me for speaking up about conditions at work. What should I do?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#options\">I am nervous about my immigration situation if I report what happened at work. What are my options?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In California, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against their employee, regardless of their immigration or documentation status. But that still doesn’t prevent some growers from punishing workers that speak up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why we have created this guide to inform farmworkers about their rights and protections. When you work in the fields, even if you are in the United States without documentation, your employer needs to respect your rights — and this is how they can be held accountable if they don’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"unsafe\">\u003c/a>What’s considered unsafe working conditions for farmworkers?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/ag-field-operations.pdf\">a complex set of rules for what a safe working environment is in the agriculture industry (PDF)\u003c/a>, which cover things like worker safety during wildfires, handling farm machinery, and even in the case of dairies and grain facilities, how to prevent accidents in confined spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">how hot it is\u003c/a>, employers must always provide farmworkers with enough drinking water near their stations. Each employee should have access to at least one quart of water every hour. And even if folks bring their own water bottles, employers must still have enough water available on site.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>When temperatures rise above 80 degrees, employers must also provide an area with enough shade to accommodate every worker on-site. On days hotter than 95 degrees, supervisors must check in with laborers consistently throughout the day and ensure workers take breaks that are at least 10 minutes long every 2 hours to prevent overheating. Just “offering” these breaks is not sufficient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These heat-safety rules apply to workers in all industries, not just the agricultural sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#tellus\">Tell us: What else do you need information about right now?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"retaliation\">\u003c/a>What is retaliation by an employer?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, retaliation means when an employer fires, punishes or cuts the wages or hours of a worker because that individual sought to improve their working conditions. This includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">cases of growers refusing to rehire seasonal workers for the next harvest after they have spoken up\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asking your boss to improve working conditions doesn’t have to be something big like organizing a strike or a march. It can also include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Asking for more water and shade to be provided on very hot days.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Asking for equipment necessary to keep you safe when working in the fields.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pointing out that some of your wages are missing.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If there is a law concerning your safety, your labor rights or your wages that your employer is not following, you should be able to talk about it with your boss freely and safely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"undocumented\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Do these protections still apply for undocumented employees?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes. California’s safety rules benefit all workers, regardless of their immigration status. Your employer cannot use your immigration status as a reason to exclude you from safety protections.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Immigration status, if that’s an issue, is not anything that our office asks folks about.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Additionally, undocumented workers can still seek help from state agencies that enforce labor protections — that is, being undocumented doesn’t disqualify them from seeking (and getting) this help from the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Immigration status, if that’s an issue, is not anything that our office asks folks about,” confirmed Jessica Arciniega, regional director of the ALRB, which investigates possible workplace abuses in the agricultural industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"withoutcontract\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Do these protections still apply for those working without a formal contract?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re working for an individual or a business without a formal job contract, labor rights experts say that these protections still apply to you — as long as it can be proven that you, as a worker, have provided labor in exchange for payment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, that proof could include written communication between a worker and an employer — like an email, or a text message — that confirms that an exchange of services for payment took place.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"enforce\">\u003c/a>Which agencies enforce labor rules in California?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are three state agencies that investigate labor violations and have the authority to penalize bad employers. All three agencies can investigate cases in the agricultural industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Agricultural Labor Relations Board\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ALRB was created in 1975 after then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975. This legislation also defines what an unfair labor practice is: actions taken by an employer that violate the rights of farmworkers, which includes retaliation — firing or cutting the wages of employees who ask for better working conditions. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#speakingup\">Jump straight to what you can do if you believe your employer has retaliated against you.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would encourage anybody that’s considering whether or not their rights were violated to call our office,” said the ALRB’s Arciniega. “Not only is our staff bilingual, but they’re culturally competent. Many of them, their families or past generations have worked in agriculture or are farmworkers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can contact the ALRB directly by calling 1-800-449-3699 or \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">reach out to its regional offices located in Santa Rosa, Salinas, Visalia, Oxnard and Indio\u003c/a>. Bay Area workers should contact the Santa Rosa office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An ALRB official can talk to you more about workplace safety rules and your rights as a worker specific to your situation. Additionally, they can explain how you can file an unfair labor practice charge against your employer which could set off a formal investigation of your employer by the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Division of Occupational Safety and Health\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA creates and enforces the state’s rules on workplace safety, making sure that employees are not exposed to dangerous chemicals or placed in risky situations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your boss is making you or your colleagues do something you are not sure is safe, you can check in with the agency by calling (833) 579-0927.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Labor Commissioner’s Office\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s Office — which is also known as the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) — is the part of California’s Department of Industrial Relations that looks into wage theft and retaliation by employers against workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you think your boss is not paying you correctly for the hours you work or refuses to pay you for overtime, this is the agency you should contact.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"speakingup\">\u003c/a>I believe my employer retaliated against me for speaking up about conditions at work. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pause while you document everything.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you just lost your job or wages, and you think it’s because of retaliation, first take some time to process the situation, and collect your thoughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d recommend folks to write down everything they remember that led up to this, because with the strong feelings you have at the moment, it is easy to forget important details,” said Ana Salgado, former farmworker and board member of North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ), a labor rights group that assisted the former employees of Mauritson Farms in their case with the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Believe in yourself and in what you know happened to you,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Collect past evidence\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As you’re jotting down your experiences, also look for written messages between you and your employer where you describe conditions at work and your supervisor’s response. This could be letters, emails or even screenshots of a text message conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other important pieces of information to look for are your pay stubs that show a cut in wages or hours after you spoke, or photos of conditions in the fields, your workstation or housing, if it’s employer-provided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"laborrightsgroups\">\u003c/a>Seek help from the professionals\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Salgado also recommends looking for the help of a labor rights organization in your area. Advocates can help you create a timeline of what happened, help you contact your employer if you want to try resolving the situation directly, or even prepare you for talking to state officials if you choose to take that step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on their resources, like staff numbers, some groups can provide more help than others. So if you think you may need extra guidance and support, consider reaching out to more than one organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are some organizations in the Bay Area that can connect farmworkers with help:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>California Rural Legal Assistance: (800) 337-0690\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Legal Aid at Work: (415) 864-8208\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>North Bay Organizing Project: (707) 843-7858\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Asian Americans Advancing Justice/Asian Law Caucus: (415) 896-1701\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland): (510) 437-1554\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>La Raza Centro Legal (San Francisco): (415) 575-3500\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"fileclaim\">\u003c/a>I want to file a claim so officials can investigate my situation. What’s next?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you are ready to report what happened, the ALRB will be the agency you contact. You will need a \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/196/2018/05/alrb_form38_en.pdf\">Charge Against Employer form (PDF)\u003c/a>, which you need to print out, complete and either email or mail to your \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">nearest ALRB field office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Bay Area residents, that’s the Santa Rosa office:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Phone: (707) 527-3256\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Email: Contact regional director Jessica Arciniega at \u003ca href=\"Jessica.Arciniega@alrb.ca.gov\">Jessica.Arciniega@alrb.ca.gov\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Mail: 606 Healdsburg Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95401\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If you need to complete the form in another language that is not English, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">reach out to your nearest field office directly\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that the ALRB requires at least two workers to come together to file a charge. If you are nervous about this step, a workers’ rights group can file a charge on your behalf — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">which is what happened in the Mauritson Farms case\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why you should file a charge as soon as possible (even if you’re anxious)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Labor advocates recommend employees report what happened to them as soon as they can. This gives state officials more time to talk to laborers and investigate what happened in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timing becomes even more important when farmworkers are in the country on a temporary work permit, like the H-2A visa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is completely understandable if you are feeling very nervous about filing a report — especially if you are afraid your employer or the person that got you the job is threatening you with further retaliation. But keep in mind that there is a time limit to report an incident with the state. You only have six months from the moment you experienced retaliation (when your hours were cut, or you were fired or knew you would not be rehired) to file a charge with the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the six-month mark, officials cannot launch an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if your boss — or the individual that connected you with employment, like a job recruiter — continues to threaten you with further retaliation if you talk to the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this case, it could be a good idea to seek help from a labor rights group to protect yourself. \u003ca href=\"#laborrightsgroups\">See a list of labor rights groups you can contact.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Once I file a charge with the ALRB, what happens?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The agency assesses your case.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials will first decide if your situation meets the requirements to begin an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some examples of when the ALRB wouldn’t be able to take your case: if you were fired — two years ago — and you think your boss did that to retaliate against you, that exceeds the ALRB’s six-month time limit and the agency cannot launch an investigation. Or if the incident took place in a farm in another state, that is also out of the ALRB’s jurisdiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An investigation begins, and your employer is notified.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the agency is able to take the case, ALRB officials will confirm that with you. They will then notify your employer about the charge, and that an investigation will begin, says ALRB General Counsel Julia Montgomery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A team of lawyers and investigators will take on the investigation, which can include the workers involved in the investigation, other employees, supervisors and anyone else that could have relevant information,” said Montgomery. Investigators can also request documents and other written records from both employers and workers, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This step can take months, or even years. If you are no longer in the U.S. during the investigation because of your immigration situation, the ALRB will still look to contact you. In past cases, agency officials have sought out farmworkers even when they have traveled back to remote rural communities in their countries of origin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A decision is made about the charge.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the investigation, officials will determine if there is enough evidence to confirm if retaliation or another unfair labor practice took place. If there is not enough evidence, the charge is dismissed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the evidence is sufficient, however, the ALRB regional director will present a formal complaint against the employer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, hold on, that doesn’t mean you have won your case yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How the ALRB brings a case against an employer\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A date for a hearing will be set and an administrative judge will decide whether the employer did in fact break the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides will have an opportunity to defend their case: your employer and their legal representatives, and the ALRB which will argue that you experienced retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the judge decides in favor of the ALRB and the employees involved, workers can receive compensation to make up for lost wages and potentially even be re-employed if they lost their jobs. ALRB officials will travel to the farm and inform other employees of the case. Additionally, employers could face heavy fines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At any step of the process, the ALRB can strike a settlement agreement with the employer. A settlement can also include compensation for the affected workers or even employment offers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"options\">\u003c/a>I am nervous about my immigration situation if I report what happened at work. What are my options?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On July 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">$4.5 million pilot program to provide free immigration legal services to farmworkers who are involved in state labor investigations\u003c/a>. This would include case-review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney to laborers in California who have a pending case with either the ALRB, the Labor Commissioner’s Office or Cal/OSHA.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The goal of this program, officials say, is to address one of the fears that prevents employees from speaking up — the fear of losing their visa or not being rehired — by connecting them to immigration experts who could help them find ways to stay in this country. And earlier this year, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940316/fear-of-deportation-keeps-some-workers-from-reporting-labor-abuses-a-new-biden-program-aims-to-change-that\">Biden administration unveiled a new, streamlined “deferred action” initiative\u003c/a> that allows workers to apply for a work permit and two years of protection from deportation, if they are cooperating with a labor rights investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To learn more about the pilot program and whether your case could qualify for free legal services from the state, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">talk to your ALRB field office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2023. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger, and help us decide what to cover here on our site, and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The San José City Council on Tuesday approved agreements with two unions representing nearly 4,500 city workers, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957602/san-joses-looming-city-worker-strike-would-be-largest-in-42-years\">averting a historic strike that threatened to disrupt\u003c/a> basic city services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote follows the announcement of a deal reached late Monday, hours before a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957679/4500-san-jose-city-workers-are-about-to-go-on-strike\">scheduled work stoppage\u003c/a> that would have been the city’s largest in more than 40 years — potentially shuttering libraries and community centers and also delaying permitting and inspections. The council’s approval came despite objections from Mayor Matt Mahan, who blasted the pact as irresponsible and predicted it would lead to painful budget cuts.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Michael Jun, housing development officer, San José\"]‘Workers have power, our labor has power. I’m really glad we came to an agreement and the city came back to the table and listened to our needs.’[/pullquote]Union leaders cheered the deal, which will give employees an immediate 6% raise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Workers have power, our labor has power,” said Michael Jun, a development officer with the city’s Housing Department. “I’m really glad we came to an agreement and the city came back to the table and listened to our needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three-year contract also includes a 5% wage hike in the fiscal year beginning July 2024 and a pay increase of at least 3.5% in July 2025. The final year raise will increase to 4% if city budget analysts project a surplus of at least $10 million in 2025, according to a bulletin sent to union members and shared with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City workers represented by MEF-AFSCME Local 101 and IFPTE Local 21 will also receive eight weeks of paid family leave, up from one week, along with eight hours of new personal leave and a lump sum payment. Union leaders said they did not secure their desired outcome on callback pay — a bonus for extra work performed on short notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the key sticking point throughout months of negotiations was wages. Workers represented by the unions maintained that wages in San José are not keeping pace with other municipalities, leading to employee turnover. Mahan argued that an overly generous wage offer would result in layoffs or service cuts down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our unions did their job,” Mahan said. “But our council did not do its job. Our leaders were elected to represent the people, and the needs of the people took a back seat. The reality is, we are gambling with the services people rely on.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"San José Mayor Matt Mahon\"]‘Our unions did their job. But our council did not do its job. Our leaders were elected to represent the people, and the needs of the people took a back seat.’[/pullquote]Mahan supported a 5% raise in the current fiscal year and said the council must now amend \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957368/san-jose-budget-deep-dive-setting-dollars-aside\">the spending plan it passed in June\u003c/a> to account for the new raises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The council will have to reopen the balanced budget that we just passed and find a few million dollars to cut,” said Mahan, who implied the raises could lead the city back into the kind of fiscal problems it experienced last decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have seen this movie before, so I am frustrated with where we are,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Councilmember Pam Foley said she voted for the contract along with eight other council members in order to aid workers and avert a work stoppage, even if it means cuts down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just really important that we have labor peace right now,” Foley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We really depend on Public Works, Department of Transportation, Parks and Rec — all of those staff to help make life easier for residents,” Foley added. “If they’re not happy, it makes it very difficult for them to do their job and my staff to do their job to take care of our residents.”[aside label='More Around San José' tag='san-jose']It was Foley and Councilmember David Cohen who pushed for the council to return from summer recess on Aug. 1, a week earlier than scheduled, in an attempt to break the gridlock in negotiations. Last week, the unions announced that 99% of members had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">supported a strike vote\u003c/a>, and the two sides returned to the bargaining table repeatedly in recent days as a potential strike drew near.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal falls roughly in between the two sides’ last public offer: The union previously asked for an 18% wage hike over three years, while the city had offered 12%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesman for MEF-AFSCME Local 101 said union members would vote on the contract beginning on Aug. 22. The council is expected to debate how to rebalance the current fiscal year budget in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The San José City Council on Tuesday approved agreements with two unions representing nearly 4,500 city workers, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957602/san-joses-looming-city-worker-strike-would-be-largest-in-42-years\">averting a historic strike that threatened to disrupt\u003c/a> basic city services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote follows the announcement of a deal reached late Monday, hours before a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957679/4500-san-jose-city-workers-are-about-to-go-on-strike\">scheduled work stoppage\u003c/a> that would have been the city’s largest in more than 40 years — potentially shuttering libraries and community centers and also delaying permitting and inspections. The council’s approval came despite objections from Mayor Matt Mahan, who blasted the pact as irresponsible and predicted it would lead to painful budget cuts.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Union leaders cheered the deal, which will give employees an immediate 6% raise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Workers have power, our labor has power,” said Michael Jun, a development officer with the city’s Housing Department. “I’m really glad we came to an agreement and the city came back to the table and listened to our needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three-year contract also includes a 5% wage hike in the fiscal year beginning July 2024 and a pay increase of at least 3.5% in July 2025. The final year raise will increase to 4% if city budget analysts project a surplus of at least $10 million in 2025, according to a bulletin sent to union members and shared with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City workers represented by MEF-AFSCME Local 101 and IFPTE Local 21 will also receive eight weeks of paid family leave, up from one week, along with eight hours of new personal leave and a lump sum payment. Union leaders said they did not secure their desired outcome on callback pay — a bonus for extra work performed on short notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the key sticking point throughout months of negotiations was wages. Workers represented by the unions maintained that wages in San José are not keeping pace with other municipalities, leading to employee turnover. Mahan argued that an overly generous wage offer would result in layoffs or service cuts down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our unions did their job,” Mahan said. “But our council did not do its job. Our leaders were elected to represent the people, and the needs of the people took a back seat. The reality is, we are gambling with the services people rely on.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Mahan supported a 5% raise in the current fiscal year and said the council must now amend \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957368/san-jose-budget-deep-dive-setting-dollars-aside\">the spending plan it passed in June\u003c/a> to account for the new raises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The council will have to reopen the balanced budget that we just passed and find a few million dollars to cut,” said Mahan, who implied the raises could lead the city back into the kind of fiscal problems it experienced last decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have seen this movie before, so I am frustrated with where we are,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Councilmember Pam Foley said she voted for the contract along with eight other council members in order to aid workers and avert a work stoppage, even if it means cuts down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just really important that we have labor peace right now,” Foley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We really depend on Public Works, Department of Transportation, Parks and Rec — all of those staff to help make life easier for residents,” Foley added. “If they’re not happy, it makes it very difficult for them to do their job and my staff to do their job to take care of our residents.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It was Foley and Councilmember David Cohen who pushed for the council to return from summer recess on Aug. 1, a week earlier than scheduled, in an attempt to break the gridlock in negotiations. Last week, the unions announced that 99% of members had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">supported a strike vote\u003c/a>, and the two sides returned to the bargaining table repeatedly in recent days as a potential strike drew near.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal falls roughly in between the two sides’ last public offer: The union previously asked for an 18% wage hike over three years, while the city had offered 12%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesman for MEF-AFSCME Local 101 said union members would vote on the contract beginning on Aug. 22. The council is expected to debate how to rebalance the current fiscal year budget in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits",
"title": "Santa Clara County Pushes Food Businesses to Pay Worker Wages — or Lose Permits",
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"content": "\u003cp>The most populous county in the Bay Area is helping state authorities address a perennial problem in labor law enforcement: businesses that were found to have cheated workers out of wages, but then fail to settle that debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Statewide, thousands of people with lower-income who have won wage claims in front of state regulators over the last decade may never recover their money, even after courts have ordered their employers to pay up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unscrupulous debtors often skirt those obligations by hiding assets or closing operations and reorganizing as a new business — leaving vulnerable families without restitution — while facing little to no consequences, said workers’ rights advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a unique Santa Clara County approach targeting food retailers is leading to money back in workers’ pockets, in an industry regulators rate as one of the top for workplace violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county leverages the food permits it issues to push local restaurants and other food-serving businesses with unpaid \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Judgment-Enforcement-Unit.html#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20Judgment%3F,the%20worker%20recover%20the%20wages.\">labor violation judgments\u003c/a> to comply — or risk losing authorization to operate in Santa Clara. The permits of about 1,800 local employers are contingent on following all applicable workplace laws, such as minimum wage and overtime pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has enormous potential,” said Ruth Silver Taube, an attorney who coordinates the Santa Clara County \u003ca href=\"https://wagetheftcoalition.org/\">Wage Theft Coalition\u003c/a>. “It disincentivizes wage theft because business owners want to keep their restaurants open.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Just a piece of paper’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, workers lose \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/employers-steal-billions-from-workers-paychecks-each-year/\">roughly $2 billion\u003c/a> annually from employers who aren’t paying minimum wage, and that’s just one form of wage theft, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Many of those victimized, often lower-income immigrants and women, will never file an official complaint with the state agency tasked with investigating wage theft because they fear retaliation.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Ruth Silver Taube, attorney and coordinator, Santa Clara County Wage Theft Coalition\"]‘It has enormous potential. It disincentivizes wage theft because business owners want to keep their restaurants open.’[/pullquote]Workers already struggling to make ends meet report they have to rely more on tax-supported social programs to survive the lost wages. The state also \u003ca href=\"https://www.labor.ucla.edu/publication/hollow-victories-the-crisis-in-collecting-unpaid-wages-for-californias-workers/\">loses revenue\u003c/a> in payroll taxes, and businesses that do follow the law are at a competitive disadvantage because of the higher costs, according to the UCLA Labor Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirna Arana, a Guatemalan immigrant who now lives in San Leandro, in Alameda County, with her two young children, said she hasn’t received any of the $183,000 the California Labor Commissioner’s Office awarded her, including for unpaid regular wages and overtime. She often worked 12-hour shifts cleaning homes and office buildings, she said, but her former employer, Rene Herrera at Maid No. 1 Services, only paid her about $5 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958150\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958150\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman plays with two children indoors beside a window.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mirna Arana hasn’t received any of the $183,000 the California Labor Commissioner’s Office awarded her for unpaid wages and overtime. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her case was referred about two years ago to a small unit at the state agency that focuses on helping workers \u003ca href=\"https://wagetheftisacrime.com/Legal-Tools.html#sheriff\">collect\u003c/a> unpaid wages. But, by then, her employer had already filed for bankruptcy, she said. Efforts to enforce the judgment in her favor through bank levies were also unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has been such a stressful, difficult time,” said Arana in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience of feeling exploited at her job inspired the 36-year-old to start her own house cleaning business, and she vowed to treat any employees she might hire fairly. But while she enlists a number of clients, Arana must still rely on government subsidized food assistance to get by, and she worries frequently about how to pay for her apartment’s rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Five years after she first filed her wage claim, she said the judgment she won is “just a piece of paper.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like I didn’t achieve anything. That all my effort with this claim, to try to make sure that other workers didn’t go through what I did, wasn’t worth it,” Arana said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Secretary of State records show Maid No. 1 Services was terminated in May 2018. Herrera did not respond to multiple requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Santa Clara County’s solution\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Santa Clara County, the \u003ca href=\"https://desj.sccgov.org/food-permit-enforcement-program\">Food Permit Enforcement Program\u003c/a> has helped collect more than $110,000 for workers since 2019, according to county officials. The program, which began as a pilot in a few cities, was halted during the pandemic before it was relaunched countywide last summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED contacted three workers who recovered lost wages through the program, but they declined to comment, as they did not want to be publicly associated with a wage dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement regularly combs state records to identify food permit holders with unpaid judgments. If a business owner does not respond to a series of letters within 45 days, their permit could be revoked, though nobody has lost one yet, said Jessie Yu, who directs the office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958148\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958148\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt='A hand holds a flier with the words \"wage theft\" written in bold on the top.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniella Balvidiva with the Fair Workplace Collaborative holds a flier on wage theft on April 28, 2023 in Gilroy. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The county focuses on food permits because we see a nexus between vulnerable worker populations and a large number of labor violations in the food retail industry,” said Yu. “We want to make sure that our citizens are taken care of and that if they are working for eight hours, they get paid for eight hours.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first-of-its kind program works across jurisdictions to help ensure retail food vendors in the county comply not only with local laws, but state and federal ones as well, said Jenn Round, a labor standards enforcement expert at the Workplace Justice Lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Santa Clara food permitting program is unique and innovative nationwide,” said Round, who works with local, state and federal agencies across the U.S. to more effectively protect the rights of low-wage workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I haven’t heard of any other county in the country that is doing anything like that … to take on the challenge of enforcing a judgment that’s been issued by a different (state) agency,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as the Labor Commissioner’s Office struggles with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">staffing crisis\u003c/a> that dozens of employees at the agency say cripples its mission of ensuring a fair day’s pay in every workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the approximately 30,000 \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/howtofilewageclaim.htm\">wage claims\u003c/a> workers file annually are settled with employers or dismissed. But those that aren’t, end up in court judgments, often after a years-long process due to major \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">delays\u003c/a> at the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even after they win, many workers are then left to their own devices to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/PubsTemp/DLSE%20Brochures/Collect%20Your%20Award%20from%20the%20Caifornia%20Labor/Brochure-JE_WEB-EN.pdf\">try to collect (PDF)\u003c/a> on those judgments. A fraction of those orders — involving people who labor in low-wage industries such as agriculture, construction and restaurants — are referred to the Labor Commissioner’s Judgment Enforcement Unit for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These specific employers sometimes that come through our office will do everything they can to avoid these payments,” said James Yang, a senior deputy who works at the unit. “They start moving property, they start trying to sell or transfer the business, getting rid of real estate… It’s not easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yang says the unit is “very effective” at clawing back money in cases they can focus on, using collections tools that range from liens and bank levies to complex investigations to try to chase and seize assets to collect lost wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But because the unit has fewer than two dozen staff positions statewide, and only 13 of those are filled, it lacks the capacity to intensively investigate the thousands of cases it handles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958146\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958146\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two people talk inside of a restaurant. One person is holding a clipboard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Armando Ricardez, with the nonprofit Prosperity Lab, asks Lorena Gaeta, owner of Gaeta’s Taqueria, to sign a list acknowledging that she has received a certificate of completion for a training on workplace laws. The outreach effort informs small business owners about the county’s food permit enforcement program. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Working Partnerships USA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even though Santa Clara’s food permit enforcement initiative only targets a small subset of unpaid judgments, it still sends a powerful message to employers, said Yang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s one county, one specific industry, we are talking about here. But it’s been very helpful,” he said. “And it’s garnered very positive attention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other counties in California have expressed interest in setting up programs like Santa Clara’s to hold more wage thieves accountable, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several \u003ca href=\"https://www.labor.ucla.edu/publication/hollow-victories-the-crisis-in-collecting-unpaid-wages-for-californias-workers/\">studies\u003c/a> point to a high proportion of wage theft victims who are unable to collect on the judgments in their favor. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4165\">found\u003c/a> that fewer than half of workers who received an award for unpaid wages recovered them from their employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last decade, more than 6,500 unpaid judgments, totaling nearly $85 million, remained open after being referred to the enforcement unit, according to a spokeswoman with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The total amount owed to workers is likely much higher, as those figures do not include cases that were not referred to the unit and whose outcome is not known to the agency. Also omitted are judgments stemming from investigations by the agency’s Bureau of Field Enforcement, which often issues citations totaling millions of dollars for widespread violations impacting dozens of workers at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Wage theft ‘not acceptable’ in Santa Clara County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The numerous unpaid judgments show it’s “absolutely critical” for city and county governments to do more to disincentivize wage theft, said Silver Taube, the attorney working with Santa Clara County’s Wage Theft Coalition, and a supervising attorney at Alexander Community Law Center at Santa Clara University Law School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe it’s a business model. I think they know there’s no consequences, and they just don’t pay,” said Silver Taube, who has pushed for greater consequences for businesses with labor violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958147\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958147\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two people talk inside of a restaurant. One person is holding a clipboard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Melissa Sanchez speaks with Tempo Kitchen & Bar’s general manager Ricardo Rivas on April 28, 2023 in Gilroy. Sanchez is part of an outreach team that informs businesses about the county’s food permit enforcement program and workplace laws. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Wage Theft Coalition advocated for Santa Clara County to establish the food permit enforcement program, and they helped convince cities, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.milpitas.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=365\">Milpitas\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://law.scu.edu/kgaclc/newsletter-summer-2016-eliminating-wage-theft/\">San José\u003c/a>, that it’s to their benefit, too, to deny business permits or contracts to employers with unpaid judgments at the Labor Commissioner’s Office.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jessie Yu, Director of Santa Clara County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement\"]‘The county focuses on food permits because we see a nexus between vulnerable worker populations and a large number of labor violations in the food retail industry.’[/pullquote]“Wage theft is on everyone’s radar now. And I do believe that there’s a consensus that it’s not acceptable in this county,” said Silver Taube. “It’s just that we have a lot of work to do, still.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to partner with community groups that inform workers of their rights and businesses of their responsibilities, said Yu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a sunny afternoon in downtown Gilroy, a group with green buttons that read “Community Outreach” visited food businesses, distributing brochures on the permit enforcement program and inviting them to a free training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958145\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958145\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Three people walk across a street as one of them pulls a wagon.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniella Baldivia pulls a cart full of flyers as other members of the Fair Workplace Collaborative follow in downtown Gilroy. The group informed business owners at restaurants, grocery stores and cafes about the county’s food permit enforcement program. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Working Partnerships USA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We want to make sure you’re up to speed on all the laws,” Melissa Sanchez, with the Fair Workplace Collaborative, told general manager Ricardo Rivas at Tempo Kitchen & Bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivas said he appreciated the outreach effort, and would sign up for the training session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are so many different things involved between state and county and federal laws, especially as far as labor goes,” Rivas said. “So being able to stay compliant with it, ensure that we are treating our workers here fairly, and in accordance with the law, is definitely a major importance for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "'Wage theft is on everyone's radar now, and I do believe that there's a consensus that it's not acceptable in this county,' said a workers' rights advocate. \r\n",
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"title": "Santa Clara County Pushes Food Businesses to Pay Worker Wages — or Lose Permits | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The most populous county in the Bay Area is helping state authorities address a perennial problem in labor law enforcement: businesses that were found to have cheated workers out of wages, but then fail to settle that debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Statewide, thousands of people with lower-income who have won wage claims in front of state regulators over the last decade may never recover their money, even after courts have ordered their employers to pay up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unscrupulous debtors often skirt those obligations by hiding assets or closing operations and reorganizing as a new business — leaving vulnerable families without restitution — while facing little to no consequences, said workers’ rights advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a unique Santa Clara County approach targeting food retailers is leading to money back in workers’ pockets, in an industry regulators rate as one of the top for workplace violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county leverages the food permits it issues to push local restaurants and other food-serving businesses with unpaid \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Judgment-Enforcement-Unit.html#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20Judgment%3F,the%20worker%20recover%20the%20wages.\">labor violation judgments\u003c/a> to comply — or risk losing authorization to operate in Santa Clara. The permits of about 1,800 local employers are contingent on following all applicable workplace laws, such as minimum wage and overtime pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has enormous potential,” said Ruth Silver Taube, an attorney who coordinates the Santa Clara County \u003ca href=\"https://wagetheftcoalition.org/\">Wage Theft Coalition\u003c/a>. “It disincentivizes wage theft because business owners want to keep their restaurants open.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Just a piece of paper’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, workers lose \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/employers-steal-billions-from-workers-paychecks-each-year/\">roughly $2 billion\u003c/a> annually from employers who aren’t paying minimum wage, and that’s just one form of wage theft, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Many of those victimized, often lower-income immigrants and women, will never file an official complaint with the state agency tasked with investigating wage theft because they fear retaliation.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘It has enormous potential. It disincentivizes wage theft because business owners want to keep their restaurants open.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Workers already struggling to make ends meet report they have to rely more on tax-supported social programs to survive the lost wages. The state also \u003ca href=\"https://www.labor.ucla.edu/publication/hollow-victories-the-crisis-in-collecting-unpaid-wages-for-californias-workers/\">loses revenue\u003c/a> in payroll taxes, and businesses that do follow the law are at a competitive disadvantage because of the higher costs, according to the UCLA Labor Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirna Arana, a Guatemalan immigrant who now lives in San Leandro, in Alameda County, with her two young children, said she hasn’t received any of the $183,000 the California Labor Commissioner’s Office awarded her, including for unpaid regular wages and overtime. She often worked 12-hour shifts cleaning homes and office buildings, she said, but her former employer, Rene Herrera at Maid No. 1 Services, only paid her about $5 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958150\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958150\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman plays with two children indoors beside a window.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mirna Arana hasn’t received any of the $183,000 the California Labor Commissioner’s Office awarded her for unpaid wages and overtime. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her case was referred about two years ago to a small unit at the state agency that focuses on helping workers \u003ca href=\"https://wagetheftisacrime.com/Legal-Tools.html#sheriff\">collect\u003c/a> unpaid wages. But, by then, her employer had already filed for bankruptcy, she said. Efforts to enforce the judgment in her favor through bank levies were also unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has been such a stressful, difficult time,” said Arana in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience of feeling exploited at her job inspired the 36-year-old to start her own house cleaning business, and she vowed to treat any employees she might hire fairly. But while she enlists a number of clients, Arana must still rely on government subsidized food assistance to get by, and she worries frequently about how to pay for her apartment’s rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Five years after she first filed her wage claim, she said the judgment she won is “just a piece of paper.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like I didn’t achieve anything. That all my effort with this claim, to try to make sure that other workers didn’t go through what I did, wasn’t worth it,” Arana said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Secretary of State records show Maid No. 1 Services was terminated in May 2018. Herrera did not respond to multiple requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Santa Clara County’s solution\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Santa Clara County, the \u003ca href=\"https://desj.sccgov.org/food-permit-enforcement-program\">Food Permit Enforcement Program\u003c/a> has helped collect more than $110,000 for workers since 2019, according to county officials. The program, which began as a pilot in a few cities, was halted during the pandemic before it was relaunched countywide last summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED contacted three workers who recovered lost wages through the program, but they declined to comment, as they did not want to be publicly associated with a wage dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement regularly combs state records to identify food permit holders with unpaid judgments. If a business owner does not respond to a series of letters within 45 days, their permit could be revoked, though nobody has lost one yet, said Jessie Yu, who directs the office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958148\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958148\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt='A hand holds a flier with the words \"wage theft\" written in bold on the top.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniella Balvidiva with the Fair Workplace Collaborative holds a flier on wage theft on April 28, 2023 in Gilroy. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The county focuses on food permits because we see a nexus between vulnerable worker populations and a large number of labor violations in the food retail industry,” said Yu. “We want to make sure that our citizens are taken care of and that if they are working for eight hours, they get paid for eight hours.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first-of-its kind program works across jurisdictions to help ensure retail food vendors in the county comply not only with local laws, but state and federal ones as well, said Jenn Round, a labor standards enforcement expert at the Workplace Justice Lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Santa Clara food permitting program is unique and innovative nationwide,” said Round, who works with local, state and federal agencies across the U.S. to more effectively protect the rights of low-wage workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I haven’t heard of any other county in the country that is doing anything like that … to take on the challenge of enforcing a judgment that’s been issued by a different (state) agency,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as the Labor Commissioner’s Office struggles with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">staffing crisis\u003c/a> that dozens of employees at the agency say cripples its mission of ensuring a fair day’s pay in every workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the approximately 30,000 \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/howtofilewageclaim.htm\">wage claims\u003c/a> workers file annually are settled with employers or dismissed. But those that aren’t, end up in court judgments, often after a years-long process due to major \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">delays\u003c/a> at the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even after they win, many workers are then left to their own devices to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/PubsTemp/DLSE%20Brochures/Collect%20Your%20Award%20from%20the%20Caifornia%20Labor/Brochure-JE_WEB-EN.pdf\">try to collect (PDF)\u003c/a> on those judgments. A fraction of those orders — involving people who labor in low-wage industries such as agriculture, construction and restaurants — are referred to the Labor Commissioner’s Judgment Enforcement Unit for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These specific employers sometimes that come through our office will do everything they can to avoid these payments,” said James Yang, a senior deputy who works at the unit. “They start moving property, they start trying to sell or transfer the business, getting rid of real estate… It’s not easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yang says the unit is “very effective” at clawing back money in cases they can focus on, using collections tools that range from liens and bank levies to complex investigations to try to chase and seize assets to collect lost wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But because the unit has fewer than two dozen staff positions statewide, and only 13 of those are filled, it lacks the capacity to intensively investigate the thousands of cases it handles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958146\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958146\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two people talk inside of a restaurant. One person is holding a clipboard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Armando Ricardez, with the nonprofit Prosperity Lab, asks Lorena Gaeta, owner of Gaeta’s Taqueria, to sign a list acknowledging that she has received a certificate of completion for a training on workplace laws. The outreach effort informs small business owners about the county’s food permit enforcement program. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Working Partnerships USA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even though Santa Clara’s food permit enforcement initiative only targets a small subset of unpaid judgments, it still sends a powerful message to employers, said Yang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s one county, one specific industry, we are talking about here. But it’s been very helpful,” he said. “And it’s garnered very positive attention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other counties in California have expressed interest in setting up programs like Santa Clara’s to hold more wage thieves accountable, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several \u003ca href=\"https://www.labor.ucla.edu/publication/hollow-victories-the-crisis-in-collecting-unpaid-wages-for-californias-workers/\">studies\u003c/a> point to a high proportion of wage theft victims who are unable to collect on the judgments in their favor. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4165\">found\u003c/a> that fewer than half of workers who received an award for unpaid wages recovered them from their employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last decade, more than 6,500 unpaid judgments, totaling nearly $85 million, remained open after being referred to the enforcement unit, according to a spokeswoman with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The total amount owed to workers is likely much higher, as those figures do not include cases that were not referred to the unit and whose outcome is not known to the agency. Also omitted are judgments stemming from investigations by the agency’s Bureau of Field Enforcement, which often issues citations totaling millions of dollars for widespread violations impacting dozens of workers at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Wage theft ‘not acceptable’ in Santa Clara County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The numerous unpaid judgments show it’s “absolutely critical” for city and county governments to do more to disincentivize wage theft, said Silver Taube, the attorney working with Santa Clara County’s Wage Theft Coalition, and a supervising attorney at Alexander Community Law Center at Santa Clara University Law School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe it’s a business model. I think they know there’s no consequences, and they just don’t pay,” said Silver Taube, who has pushed for greater consequences for businesses with labor violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958147\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958147\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two people talk inside of a restaurant. One person is holding a clipboard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Melissa Sanchez speaks with Tempo Kitchen & Bar’s general manager Ricardo Rivas on April 28, 2023 in Gilroy. Sanchez is part of an outreach team that informs businesses about the county’s food permit enforcement program and workplace laws. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Wage Theft Coalition advocated for Santa Clara County to establish the food permit enforcement program, and they helped convince cities, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.milpitas.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=365\">Milpitas\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://law.scu.edu/kgaclc/newsletter-summer-2016-eliminating-wage-theft/\">San José\u003c/a>, that it’s to their benefit, too, to deny business permits or contracts to employers with unpaid judgments at the Labor Commissioner’s Office.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Wage theft is on everyone’s radar now. And I do believe that there’s a consensus that it’s not acceptable in this county,” said Silver Taube. “It’s just that we have a lot of work to do, still.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to partner with community groups that inform workers of their rights and businesses of their responsibilities, said Yu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a sunny afternoon in downtown Gilroy, a group with green buttons that read “Community Outreach” visited food businesses, distributing brochures on the permit enforcement program and inviting them to a free training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958145\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958145\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Three people walk across a street as one of them pulls a wagon.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniella Baldivia pulls a cart full of flyers as other members of the Fair Workplace Collaborative follow in downtown Gilroy. The group informed business owners at restaurants, grocery stores and cafes about the county’s food permit enforcement program. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Working Partnerships USA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We want to make sure you’re up to speed on all the laws,” Melissa Sanchez, with the Fair Workplace Collaborative, told general manager Ricardo Rivas at Tempo Kitchen & Bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivas said he appreciated the outreach effort, and would sign up for the training session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are so many different things involved between state and county and federal laws, especially as far as labor goes,” Rivas said. “So being able to stay compliant with it, ensure that we are treating our workers here fairly, and in accordance with the law, is definitely a major importance for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Hot Workplaces Have a Hidden Cost: 20,000 Job Injuries a Year in California",
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"headTitle": "Hot Workplaces Have a Hidden Cost: 20,000 Job Injuries a Year in California | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>With more heat waves expected this summer, California officials are trying to assess the long-term economic impact on workers and businesses — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956715/democratic-lawmakers-push-for-national-heat-related-worker-protections-amid-scorching-temperatures\">and what more can be done to protect workers bearing the brunt of extreme temperatures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">California is one of the few states with heat standards protecting outdoor workers\u003c/a>, advocates and workers say enforcement is still a struggle. Meanwhile the state has been trying for years to create indoor workplace heat rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2021 study of California worker compensation data by a left-leaning economic research nonprofit shows hot days lead to increased workplace accidents across California. The \u003ca href=\"https://equitablegrowth.org/working-papers/temperature-workplace-safety-and-labor-market-inequality/\">Washington Center for Equitable Growth study\u003c/a> estimates hot temperatures have caused at least 360,000 workplace injuries in California from 2001 to 2018, or about 20,000 injuries a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers examined California workers compensation data and tracked daily temperatures down to the zip code. They compared the number of worker injuries and illnesses on 85-to-105-degree days to days when temperatures hovered around 60 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Heat-Advisory-Committee/\">advisory committee\u003c/a> is set to use this data as a roadmap to tackle hot workplace issues. The group of state agency staffers and scholars will examine persistent problems with underreported heat-related illness and injuries, as well as gaps in data collection and the financial toll on workers and businesses when temperatures rise and production falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Young workers at risk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A day above 100 degrees can lead to a 10–15% increase in same-day injuries on the job, the study says, with injuries hitting low-wage workers hardest. And recovering from a heat-related injury or illness costs the average worker $35,000, including health care and long-term wage impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This implies that the welfare impacts associated with heat-related workplace injuries may be on the order of $525 million to $875 million per year in California alone,” the study authors wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study says workplace injuries include incidents not usually linked to heat, such as falling from heights, getting struck by a vehicle or mishandling dangerous machinery. Research links high temperatures to reduced cognitive performance and decision-making.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lead author of the study, University of Pennsylvania professor \u003ca href=\"https://www.sp2.upenn.edu/person/r-jisung-park/\">R. Jisung Park\u003c/a>, is a member of the advisory committee. He and his coauthors found that low-wage workers, especially young men, face the greatest risks of heat injuries, even in mostly indoor workplaces like restaurants or warehouses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s advisory committee met for the first time at the end of June. Its mandate is part of a \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Climate-Resilience/2022-Final-Extreme-Heat-Action-Plan.pdf\">package of heat-related\u003c/a> legislation passed last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom in September \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/09/09/as-record-heat-wave-continues-governor-newsom-signs-legislation-to-protect-californians-from-extreme-heat/\">signed several bills\u003c/a> creating the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-09/newsom-signs-bills-california-extreme-heat-warning-system\">extreme heat warning and ranking system\u003c/a> in the nation, directing the California Department of Public Health to study the impact of extreme heat on pregnant workers and encouraging local governments to invest in protections against extreme heat and other climate effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are certain sectors that are going to be heavily influenced of course, including food production,” said Daniel Sumner, an advisory committee member who is an agricultural and labor economist at UC Davis. “I think we’d be remiss not to try to think through impacts that directly affect workers’ lower productivity, raise danger for workers, and as a consequence raise food prices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Are California workers protected from heat?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California is one of a few states with laws that mandate employers provide water breaks, shade and rest for outdoor workers once temperatures reach certain levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state implemented its outdoor heat standard in 2005, after \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/ucdavis/protecting-californias-farmworkers-as-temperatures-climb/#:~:text=California%20passed%20the%20nation's%20most,water%2C%20shade%20and%20rest%20breaks.\">several farmworkers\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> —\u003c/strong> three in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-03-me-farmworkers3-story.html\">Kern County\u003c/a> and one in Fresno County — died due to heat exposure. After the 2008 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/farm-workers-rights-pregnant-17-year-old-death-2008-maria-isavel-vasquez-jimenez/40950637#:~:text=Mar%C3%ADa%20was%2017%20years%20old,when%20tragedy%20struck%20the%20family.\">death of a pregnant \u003c/a>teen working in a Central Valley vineyard\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>drew national outrage, state officials frantically tried to strengthen and enforce the heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11886628 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50596_019_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg']The Washington Center study found occupational heat-related injuries in California declined by about 30% since the standards took effect in 2005.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There still are \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/10/1185766013/farm-workers-extreme-heat-protection-farmers-safety\">no heat-related federal workplace protections\u003c/a>, even for outdoor workers, although the Occupational Health and Safety Administration announced two years ago it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/01/1185623467/the-federal-government-wants-to-protect-people-who-work-outdoors-from-wildfire-s\">developing heat rules\u003c/a> for outdoor and indoor workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s currently little relief for California’s indoor workers. The state has been considering proposals for heat rules for employees in indoor settings like restaurants or warehouses for nearly seven years, missing a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1167\">2019 deadline\u003c/a> the Legislature set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, a 24-year-old United Parcel Service driver died after collapsing from the heat during deliveries in Pasadena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 340,000-strong union representing the UPS workers has been seeking heat rules that would cover its California members. The union reached a “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Teamsters/status/1683867683845021697?s=20\">historic\u003c/a>” contract agreement with the company July 25 after threatening a strike, \u003ca href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7b3z8/teamsters-ups-union-wins-historic-contract-avoids-gigantic-strike\">securing a deal\u003c/a> with higher wages and more heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jassy Grewal, a lobbyist for the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council and a member of the state’s heat advisory committee, said workers in high-intensity environments, or those who don’t have a cool place at home, are especially vulnerable without indoor heat rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What type of pressures from employers, like work quotas, contribute to heat-related illness,” Grewal asked during\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>the first committee meeting. “And how does the intensity of work and how physically demanding it is relate to the impact of heat exposure while at work and while not at work?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Gaps in job protections\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Unions and worker advocates have sued the state in the past to enforce heat-related regulations, and they say the state needs to hold employers accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocacy groups warn that despite progress, the greatest risk to workers lies with the state’s troubled enforcement record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some experts say it’s as simple as better outreach, informing workers about heat risks and their rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s all implementation and ensuring that these workers actually get the benefits of these laws,” said Michael Méndez, environmental policy professor at UC Irvine, “and having a culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging on the risk and severity of these heat waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Stories' tag='heat']“I think for any population it’s confusing to understand how our climate is changing and how much risk they could have. So ensuring that we have trusted messengers and doing it in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The United Farm Workers sued the Cal/OSHA in 2012\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>to compel the state to enforce heat rules for farmworkers. In 2015 the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cal-osha-farm-workers-20150612-story.html\">settled\u003c/a> a suit the union brought on behalf of five farmworkers who alleged Cal/OSHA was systematically neglecting its duty to enforce the 2005 law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UFW spokesperson Antonio de Loera-Brust told CalMatters “people died to win” California’s enforcement standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We expect state agencies to be out in full strength across California to make sure employers are being compliant with the state heat rules,” De Loera-Brust said. “Heat is still a deadly hazard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Farmworker health\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A February \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/02/farmworkers-conditions-california-report/\">study on California farmworker health\u003c/a> and safety by the \u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/\">UC Merced Community and Labor Center\u003c/a> found that only a third of farm laborers could recognize the symptoms of a heat-related illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only half of the roughly 1,500 farmworkers surveyed said their employers always provide shade mandated by California law when it hits 80 degrees, while a quarter said their employers never or rarely provide the required shade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/farmworker-health-study/farmworker-health-study-data-dashboard\">study\u003c/a>, which surveyed farmworkers in six languages, also found:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>About 22% of farmworkers said their employer “never” monitors for heat illness. A slightly higher percentage in the Imperial Valley, where scorching temperatures are common, said the same.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>82% of farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley said they have received heat-related illness training.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>About 43% of farmworkers statewide, including two-thirds of Central Coast farmworkers, said their employers never had a written heat illness protection plan.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Some farm employers still don’t comply with state rules about providing water, shade and rest, the survey shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>55% of farmworkers across the state said their employers always monitored the temperature on hot days — 76% said it in the Imperial Valley, but 46% did in Napa Valley and Sonoma areas.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>75% of farmworkers said their employers provide clean drinking water every time.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Barely half of farmworkers reported their employers always provide a 10-minute cool down rest, while 21% said their employers “never” did.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/content/alice-berliner\">Alice Berliner\u003c/a>, worker health and safety program director at the community and labor center, said it’s clear some workers aren’t getting safety information or training in Spanish when they need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know heat-related deaths are going up,” she said. “If we want to prevent future deaths from happening, we really need to ensure workers are protected at work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials taking preventive measures, such as conducting heat sweeps ahead of heat waves, has helped, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What will the state committee do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Assembly Speaker \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/robert-rivas-1980/\">Robert Rivas\u003c/a>, who authored legislation creating the advisory committee last year, called the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Heat-Advisory-Committee/\">panel of 13\u003c/a> a “solid first step.” He said he will work with the Legislature to do more for workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Climate change is accelerating, and extreme heat and heat-related illnesses are on the rise,” the Salinas Democrat said in a statement. “California is committed to protecting workers’ health and quality of life during extreme heat waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite near-universal consensus among state officials and advocates that heat reform work is urgent, and despite recent record shattering temperatures, the committee has been given a 2026 deadline to report results to the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee is set to meet quarterly. The next session is September 19. Members indicated they’ll likely commission a study to guide the committee’s work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have no doubt the work this committee will do will save lives,” said Cal/OSHA chief Jeff Killip at the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Just 1 day above 100 degrees can cause 15% more workplace accidents, according to a study. A new advisory panel may help California improve its heat-related work rules.",
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"title": "Hot Workplaces Have a Hidden Cost: 20,000 Job Injuries a Year in California | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>With more heat waves expected this summer, California officials are trying to assess the long-term economic impact on workers and businesses — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956715/democratic-lawmakers-push-for-national-heat-related-worker-protections-amid-scorching-temperatures\">and what more can be done to protect workers bearing the brunt of extreme temperatures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">California is one of the few states with heat standards protecting outdoor workers\u003c/a>, advocates and workers say enforcement is still a struggle. Meanwhile the state has been trying for years to create indoor workplace heat rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2021 study of California worker compensation data by a left-leaning economic research nonprofit shows hot days lead to increased workplace accidents across California. The \u003ca href=\"https://equitablegrowth.org/working-papers/temperature-workplace-safety-and-labor-market-inequality/\">Washington Center for Equitable Growth study\u003c/a> estimates hot temperatures have caused at least 360,000 workplace injuries in California from 2001 to 2018, or about 20,000 injuries a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers examined California workers compensation data and tracked daily temperatures down to the zip code. They compared the number of worker injuries and illnesses on 85-to-105-degree days to days when temperatures hovered around 60 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Heat-Advisory-Committee/\">advisory committee\u003c/a> is set to use this data as a roadmap to tackle hot workplace issues. The group of state agency staffers and scholars will examine persistent problems with underreported heat-related illness and injuries, as well as gaps in data collection and the financial toll on workers and businesses when temperatures rise and production falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Young workers at risk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A day above 100 degrees can lead to a 10–15% increase in same-day injuries on the job, the study says, with injuries hitting low-wage workers hardest. And recovering from a heat-related injury or illness costs the average worker $35,000, including health care and long-term wage impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This implies that the welfare impacts associated with heat-related workplace injuries may be on the order of $525 million to $875 million per year in California alone,” the study authors wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study says workplace injuries include incidents not usually linked to heat, such as falling from heights, getting struck by a vehicle or mishandling dangerous machinery. Research links high temperatures to reduced cognitive performance and decision-making.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lead author of the study, University of Pennsylvania professor \u003ca href=\"https://www.sp2.upenn.edu/person/r-jisung-park/\">R. Jisung Park\u003c/a>, is a member of the advisory committee. He and his coauthors found that low-wage workers, especially young men, face the greatest risks of heat injuries, even in mostly indoor workplaces like restaurants or warehouses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s advisory committee met for the first time at the end of June. Its mandate is part of a \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Climate-Resilience/2022-Final-Extreme-Heat-Action-Plan.pdf\">package of heat-related\u003c/a> legislation passed last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom in September \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/09/09/as-record-heat-wave-continues-governor-newsom-signs-legislation-to-protect-californians-from-extreme-heat/\">signed several bills\u003c/a> creating the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-09/newsom-signs-bills-california-extreme-heat-warning-system\">extreme heat warning and ranking system\u003c/a> in the nation, directing the California Department of Public Health to study the impact of extreme heat on pregnant workers and encouraging local governments to invest in protections against extreme heat and other climate effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are certain sectors that are going to be heavily influenced of course, including food production,” said Daniel Sumner, an advisory committee member who is an agricultural and labor economist at UC Davis. “I think we’d be remiss not to try to think through impacts that directly affect workers’ lower productivity, raise danger for workers, and as a consequence raise food prices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Are California workers protected from heat?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California is one of a few states with laws that mandate employers provide water breaks, shade and rest for outdoor workers once temperatures reach certain levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state implemented its outdoor heat standard in 2005, after \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/ucdavis/protecting-californias-farmworkers-as-temperatures-climb/#:~:text=California%20passed%20the%20nation's%20most,water%2C%20shade%20and%20rest%20breaks.\">several farmworkers\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> —\u003c/strong> three in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-03-me-farmworkers3-story.html\">Kern County\u003c/a> and one in Fresno County — died due to heat exposure. After the 2008 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/farm-workers-rights-pregnant-17-year-old-death-2008-maria-isavel-vasquez-jimenez/40950637#:~:text=Mar%C3%ADa%20was%2017%20years%20old,when%20tragedy%20struck%20the%20family.\">death of a pregnant \u003c/a>teen working in a Central Valley vineyard\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>drew national outrage, state officials frantically tried to strengthen and enforce the heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Washington Center study found occupational heat-related injuries in California declined by about 30% since the standards took effect in 2005.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There still are \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/10/1185766013/farm-workers-extreme-heat-protection-farmers-safety\">no heat-related federal workplace protections\u003c/a>, even for outdoor workers, although the Occupational Health and Safety Administration announced two years ago it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/01/1185623467/the-federal-government-wants-to-protect-people-who-work-outdoors-from-wildfire-s\">developing heat rules\u003c/a> for outdoor and indoor workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s currently little relief for California’s indoor workers. The state has been considering proposals for heat rules for employees in indoor settings like restaurants or warehouses for nearly seven years, missing a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1167\">2019 deadline\u003c/a> the Legislature set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, a 24-year-old United Parcel Service driver died after collapsing from the heat during deliveries in Pasadena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 340,000-strong union representing the UPS workers has been seeking heat rules that would cover its California members. The union reached a “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Teamsters/status/1683867683845021697?s=20\">historic\u003c/a>” contract agreement with the company July 25 after threatening a strike, \u003ca href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7b3z8/teamsters-ups-union-wins-historic-contract-avoids-gigantic-strike\">securing a deal\u003c/a> with higher wages and more heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jassy Grewal, a lobbyist for the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council and a member of the state’s heat advisory committee, said workers in high-intensity environments, or those who don’t have a cool place at home, are especially vulnerable without indoor heat rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What type of pressures from employers, like work quotas, contribute to heat-related illness,” Grewal asked during\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>the first committee meeting. “And how does the intensity of work and how physically demanding it is relate to the impact of heat exposure while at work and while not at work?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Gaps in job protections\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Unions and worker advocates have sued the state in the past to enforce heat-related regulations, and they say the state needs to hold employers accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocacy groups warn that despite progress, the greatest risk to workers lies with the state’s troubled enforcement record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some experts say it’s as simple as better outreach, informing workers about heat risks and their rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s all implementation and ensuring that these workers actually get the benefits of these laws,” said Michael Méndez, environmental policy professor at UC Irvine, “and having a culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging on the risk and severity of these heat waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I think for any population it’s confusing to understand how our climate is changing and how much risk they could have. So ensuring that we have trusted messengers and doing it in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The United Farm Workers sued the Cal/OSHA in 2012\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>to compel the state to enforce heat rules for farmworkers. In 2015 the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cal-osha-farm-workers-20150612-story.html\">settled\u003c/a> a suit the union brought on behalf of five farmworkers who alleged Cal/OSHA was systematically neglecting its duty to enforce the 2005 law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UFW spokesperson Antonio de Loera-Brust told CalMatters “people died to win” California’s enforcement standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We expect state agencies to be out in full strength across California to make sure employers are being compliant with the state heat rules,” De Loera-Brust said. “Heat is still a deadly hazard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Farmworker health\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A February \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/02/farmworkers-conditions-california-report/\">study on California farmworker health\u003c/a> and safety by the \u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/\">UC Merced Community and Labor Center\u003c/a> found that only a third of farm laborers could recognize the symptoms of a heat-related illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only half of the roughly 1,500 farmworkers surveyed said their employers always provide shade mandated by California law when it hits 80 degrees, while a quarter said their employers never or rarely provide the required shade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/farmworker-health-study/farmworker-health-study-data-dashboard\">study\u003c/a>, which surveyed farmworkers in six languages, also found:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>About 22% of farmworkers said their employer “never” monitors for heat illness. A slightly higher percentage in the Imperial Valley, where scorching temperatures are common, said the same.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>82% of farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley said they have received heat-related illness training.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>About 43% of farmworkers statewide, including two-thirds of Central Coast farmworkers, said their employers never had a written heat illness protection plan.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Some farm employers still don’t comply with state rules about providing water, shade and rest, the survey shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>55% of farmworkers across the state said their employers always monitored the temperature on hot days — 76% said it in the Imperial Valley, but 46% did in Napa Valley and Sonoma areas.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>75% of farmworkers said their employers provide clean drinking water every time.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Barely half of farmworkers reported their employers always provide a 10-minute cool down rest, while 21% said their employers “never” did.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/content/alice-berliner\">Alice Berliner\u003c/a>, worker health and safety program director at the community and labor center, said it’s clear some workers aren’t getting safety information or training in Spanish when they need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know heat-related deaths are going up,” she said. “If we want to prevent future deaths from happening, we really need to ensure workers are protected at work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials taking preventive measures, such as conducting heat sweeps ahead of heat waves, has helped, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What will the state committee do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Assembly Speaker \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/robert-rivas-1980/\">Robert Rivas\u003c/a>, who authored legislation creating the advisory committee last year, called the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Heat-Advisory-Committee/\">panel of 13\u003c/a> a “solid first step.” He said he will work with the Legislature to do more for workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Climate change is accelerating, and extreme heat and heat-related illnesses are on the rise,” the Salinas Democrat said in a statement. “California is committed to protecting workers’ health and quality of life during extreme heat waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite near-universal consensus among state officials and advocates that heat reform work is urgent, and despite recent record shattering temperatures, the committee has been given a 2026 deadline to report results to the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee is set to meet quarterly. The next session is September 19. Members indicated they’ll likely commission a study to guide the committee’s work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have no doubt the work this committee will do will save lives,” said Cal/OSHA chief Jeff Killip at the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>More than 4,000 San José city employees plan to vote next week on whether to authorize a three-day strike for as soon as mid-August, labor organizers announced Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike would be the largest the city has seen in decades, potentially hobbling numerous daily operations, with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/office-of-the-city-manager/employee-relations/labor-relations-information/bargaining-units-labor-contract-info/mef\">broad swath of crucial workers\u003c/a> walking off the job, including some airport operations personnel, librarians and park managers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Certain union-represented employees, including public safety radio dispatchers and wastewater treatment workers, would likely be deemed “essential, and prohibited from striking. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes some four months after the unions representing the workers began negotiating with the city over a new three-year contract, demanding significant pay hikes — including a 7% wage increase next year — along with more family leave and other expanded benefits. But negotiations reached an impasse in June, when the city’s latest offer fell short of the unions’ demands.[aside label=\"More on San José labor issues\" postID=\"news_11955897,news_11955267\"]More than 2,500 full-time employees have already signed a petition indicating they plan to vote next week in favor of the walkout, an organizer with \u003ca href=\"https://www.staffupsanjose.org/\">Staff Up San Jose\u003c/a>, a coalition of four unions involved in negotiations, told KQED. Voting concludes next Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Tucker, of the Municipal Employees’ Federation (MEF-AFSCME) Local 101, the largest union at the table, said that if workers vote to strike, they wouldn’t walk off the job until after the City Council returns from its summer recess, on Aug. 8, to give the city “every possibility to come to an agreement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unions adjusted their demands significantly during mediation this month, he said, but the city has yet to make any meaningful change to its existing proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they come to the middle, I think that they’ll find that we will be pragmatic and willing to reach an agreement that’s going to achieve our goals of getting back to service delivery,” Tucker said. “But so far, the city hasn’t shown signs of meeting us in the middle. They’re dug in their position. That’s the point of the strike vote: to get them to meet us in the middle and get a deal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Failing that, Tucker added, a three-day walkout will hopefully be enough to move the needle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Should we have to talk about a further strike afterwards, we’re willing to do so,” he said. “But we believe that that’s enough to show them that we’re serious about getting the city staffed up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a written request, obtained by KQED, two members of the City Council on Tuesday asked the City Attorney’s Office to schedule a “special” Council meeting for next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe that the council has a lot of questions and being able to start the discussion next week will help us better prepare for the next step in negotiations and also would exhibit a level of urgency that our employees believe the process deserves,” Councilmembers David Cohen and Pam Foley wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the special meeting is called next week, the Council could begin the process of drafting an updated offer for unions organizers to consider before directing workers to walk off the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan, however, told KQED earlier this month that the 7% wage increase the unions are asking for is simply “unrealistic,” pointing to a poor economic forecast in Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The context in which we’re operating is one in which large employers in Silicon Valley are laying people off,” Mahan said. “We’re not seeing signs of economic, and therefore tax base, growth when we look out over the next couple of years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But leaders of Staff Up San Jose argue that city workers have long been undervalued, making markedly less than their counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions, and that significant wage and benefit increases are needed to address the city’s staffing and retention crisis. As of May, the city reported 860 municipal job openings, marking more than a 13% vacancy rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City employees told KQED that their departments are chronically understaffed, leading to burnout and high turnover. Many referred to the city as a “training ground” where workers acquire skills, then leave for other employers who offer better pay and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several other Council members, including Peter Ortiz and Omar Torres, are voicing their strong support for the workers, and urging the city to offer them a more generous contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am a strong ally of our bargaining units, and I do hope we, as a city, end the impasse and offer them a fair contract,” Torres said in a statement. “Too many of them are leaving our city. Now is not the time to have an understaffed and underpaid workforce, as too much is at stake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Guy Marzorati contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 4,000 San José city employees plan to vote next week on whether to authorize a three-day strike for as soon as mid-August, labor organizers announced Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike would be the largest the city has seen in decades, potentially hobbling numerous daily operations, with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/office-of-the-city-manager/employee-relations/labor-relations-information/bargaining-units-labor-contract-info/mef\">broad swath of crucial workers\u003c/a> walking off the job, including some airport operations personnel, librarians and park managers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Certain union-represented employees, including public safety radio dispatchers and wastewater treatment workers, would likely be deemed “essential, and prohibited from striking. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes some four months after the unions representing the workers began negotiating with the city over a new three-year contract, demanding significant pay hikes — including a 7% wage increase next year — along with more family leave and other expanded benefits. But negotiations reached an impasse in June, when the city’s latest offer fell short of the unions’ demands.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>More than 2,500 full-time employees have already signed a petition indicating they plan to vote next week in favor of the walkout, an organizer with \u003ca href=\"https://www.staffupsanjose.org/\">Staff Up San Jose\u003c/a>, a coalition of four unions involved in negotiations, told KQED. Voting concludes next Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Tucker, of the Municipal Employees’ Federation (MEF-AFSCME) Local 101, the largest union at the table, said that if workers vote to strike, they wouldn’t walk off the job until after the City Council returns from its summer recess, on Aug. 8, to give the city “every possibility to come to an agreement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unions adjusted their demands significantly during mediation this month, he said, but the city has yet to make any meaningful change to its existing proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they come to the middle, I think that they’ll find that we will be pragmatic and willing to reach an agreement that’s going to achieve our goals of getting back to service delivery,” Tucker said. “But so far, the city hasn’t shown signs of meeting us in the middle. They’re dug in their position. That’s the point of the strike vote: to get them to meet us in the middle and get a deal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Failing that, Tucker added, a three-day walkout will hopefully be enough to move the needle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Should we have to talk about a further strike afterwards, we’re willing to do so,” he said. “But we believe that that’s enough to show them that we’re serious about getting the city staffed up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a written request, obtained by KQED, two members of the City Council on Tuesday asked the City Attorney’s Office to schedule a “special” Council meeting for next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe that the council has a lot of questions and being able to start the discussion next week will help us better prepare for the next step in negotiations and also would exhibit a level of urgency that our employees believe the process deserves,” Councilmembers David Cohen and Pam Foley wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the special meeting is called next week, the Council could begin the process of drafting an updated offer for unions organizers to consider before directing workers to walk off the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan, however, told KQED earlier this month that the 7% wage increase the unions are asking for is simply “unrealistic,” pointing to a poor economic forecast in Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The context in which we’re operating is one in which large employers in Silicon Valley are laying people off,” Mahan said. “We’re not seeing signs of economic, and therefore tax base, growth when we look out over the next couple of years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But leaders of Staff Up San Jose argue that city workers have long been undervalued, making markedly less than their counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions, and that significant wage and benefit increases are needed to address the city’s staffing and retention crisis. As of May, the city reported 860 municipal job openings, marking more than a 13% vacancy rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City employees told KQED that their departments are chronically understaffed, leading to burnout and high turnover. Many referred to the city as a “training ground” where workers acquire skills, then leave for other employers who offer better pay and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several other Council members, including Peter Ortiz and Omar Torres, are voicing their strong support for the workers, and urging the city to offer them a more generous contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am a strong ally of our bargaining units, and I do hope we, as a city, end the impasse and offer them a fair contract,” Torres said in a statement. “Too many of them are leaving our city. Now is not the time to have an understaffed and underpaid workforce, as too much is at stake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Guy Marzorati contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won",
"title": "How Workers Took on a Sonoma County Vineyard Company Over Abuses — and Won",
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"headTitle": "How Workers Took on a Sonoma County Vineyard Company Over Abuses — and Won | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957505/campesinos-denunciaron-a-un-vinedo-por-abusos-laborales-y-ganaron\">Leer en español\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#correction\">This story contains a correction.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]M[/dropcap]auritson Farms Inc. in Sonoma County will pay $328,077 to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">21 of its former workers\u003c/a> as part of a \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885712/settlement-agreement-june-2023.pdf\">settlement\u003c/a> with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) — the largest monetary settlement the agency has reached at its Santa Rosa office. ALRB officials, along with dozens of labor advocates and farmworkers, announced the settlement at a press conference Monday evening in Healdsburg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mauritson Farms Inc., which manages vineyards, is a separate and distinct business from \u003ca href=\"https://www.mauritsonwines.com/About-Us/Our-Team\">Mauritson Wines\u003c/a>. Both businesses are owned by the Mauritson family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following an investigation spurred by the farmworkers’ complaints, ALRB officials determined that Mauritson Farms retaliated against an entire crew of former employees because some of them organized at the end of the 2021 growing season to speak out against unsafe working conditions in Mauritson’s vineyards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We must recognize that this is a victory started by workers to defend not just their rights, but their dignity as well,” said organizer Davin Cárdenas at Monday’s conference. Cárdenas is the director of organizing at North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ), a labor rights group that supported the former Mauritson employees through the ALRB investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a case that sets a precedent for other workers in the region,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, one of the six laborers who spoke up about their treatment at Mauritson\"]‘After so much abuse, I think it’s fair that our rights are respected and we are respected for who we are.’[/pullquote]The workers involved were immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, and were in the country on an H-2A visa, which lets agricultural workers stay in the U.S. for limited periods of time. KQED first reported last year that despite promises from company leadership, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">none of the workers who spoke out were called back from Oaxaca for the 2022 season\u003c/a>. In its complaint filed against Mauritson this past March, the ALRB \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885711/alrb-complaint-march-2023.pdf\">determined that Mauritson not rehiring these laborers constituted an illegal labor practice\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I got the news, I thanked God it went this way, because this was not at all easy. We were very afraid to speak up. It was a complicated process but you have to let go of that fear,” said Martín Sandoval Rivera, one of the workers who spoke up against the conditions at Mauritson Farms. He’s currently in Oaxaca, working several jobs to support his wife who is expecting their first child.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandoval Rivera and his colleagues said they experienced verbal harassment from their supervisor, were denied shade while working in the fields on days hotter than 90 degrees and did not receive their break and lunch periods on a few occasions — all of which violates California labor regulations. Six of the workers, including Sandoval Rivera, sought the support of labor rights group North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ) to mediate the situation. NBJWJ arranged a meeting with the workers and company higher-ups in October 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that meeting, vineyard manager Cameron Mauritson promised that conditions would improve and assured the workers that he would hire them again in 2022 — relieving the workers’ biggest worry: being denied future employment for speaking up. Then the company — which workers said had previously handled the recruitment process directly using social media — chose to contract with a third-party recruiter, CIERTO Global, to handle hiring for the 2022 season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group from Oaxaca never had a real chance to come back. According to the ALRB complaint, CIERTO Global recruits exclusively from a completely different state in Mexico for grape-growing companies. On top of that, screengrabs from a Facebook group the Oaxacan workers shared with KQED showed that Mauritson management shared incorrect information on how workers should contact CIERTO for future employment. CIERTO representatives confirmed to KQED that Mauritson’s instructions to either submit a form at a specific location on CIERTO’s website or to email a given email address were false.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These instructions do not reflect our practices involving any of the workers we serve,” a CIERTO representative said in an emailed response. “Mauritson’s instructions were not cleared or disseminated by CIERTO.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11918317]When the workers realized what was happening, they alerted NBJWJ. In February 2022, organizers filed a claim with the ALRB on behalf of the six workers who attended the meeting with Mauritson. Six initially spoke up — but in its investigation, the ALRB found that Mauritson retaliated against the entire 21-person team the six workers belonged to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The $328,077 settlement, which will benefit all 21 laborers, represents what the workers lost by missing the 2022 growing season, according to calculations from the ALRB. A hearing with an administrative law judge had been scheduled for later this summer, but the settlement concludes this process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement emailed to KQED, Mauritson Farms declared that it “strongly believes that [it was] not in any violation of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA). This settlement is strictly a business decision that allows us to resolve this issue without the need for further litigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956408\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956408\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A group of people sit together holding signs reading \"La Unión Hace La Fuerza\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworkers Antonio Flores (left) and his son Mateo, Rosalba Gutierrez (center) and Valentina Sosa (right) sit at the NBJWJ press conference announcing the settlement with Mauritson at Healdsburg Plaza on Monday. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“After so much abuse, I think it’s fair that our rights are respected and we are respected for who we are,” said Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, one of the six laborers who met with Mauritson. During the past year and a half, he’s hustled to work any job he can find in his rural Oaxacan community to support his wife and two children, and at the same time, kept in touch with ALRB officials who were investigating the situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For months, the ALRB worked to track down the 21 workers who were not rehired. After the 2021 season ended, many returned to remote villages in Oaxaca, where access to the internet and cell phone reception is extremely limited and for some, non-existent. Tracking folks down was one challenge, said ALRB regional director Jessica Arciniega. The other was establishing trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With many of our cases, there’s challenges in maintaining communication with workers,” she said. “They [could be] unfamiliar with our process, they [could be] unfamiliar with us, as a government agency. and what we actually do. So they may not always feel 100% ready or comfortable to share all of this information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Ana Salgado, former farmworker and member of the NBJWJ board\"]‘So many [H-2A laborers] are afraid of losing the opportunity they have… They may be experiencing many abuses but they do not want to say anything because they are afraid of losing what they consider to be a privilege.’[/pullquote]Workers are not just afraid of experiencing further retaliation from the same employer, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">as KQED reported last year, many H-2A employers use a network of recruiters to block workers who speak up from finding a job\u003c/a> in other agricultural industries. In that same story, KQED shared the story of Kevin and Samuel, two former Mauritson employees who were among the six that initially spoke up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kevin and Samuel were actually aliases for Sandoval Rivera and Bravo Silva, respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, both men were very afraid of what the repercussions would be if they shared their identities publicly during the ALRB investigation. As weeks turned into months, Sandoval Rivera felt less and less confident that there would be an answer from officials, especially as his family’s economic situation worsened. “Necessity makes you think many things,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, he and Bravo Silva are glad they waited for the results of the investigation and the settlement. This won’t just benefit them, Bravo Silva says, “but also the immigrant workers who are now working at that company, so that they are respected more and they don’t feel alone. There are laws that protect agricultural workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Celebrating a hard-won victory\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With banners and signs — many of them emblazoned with Emiliano Zapata’s quote “La tierra es de quien la trabaja,” or “The land belongs to those who work it with their hands” — farmworkers and NBJWJ organizers filled up part of Healdsburg’s main plaza for Monday’s press conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You represent the farmworkers who are not able to be here today but whose courage has left us this legacy: that by fighting and finding allies, we, as workers, can achieve many things,” said Ana Salgado former farmworker, community organizer and member of the NBJWJ board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956412\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956412\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A person wearing earrings speaks in front of others holding signs reading \"La Unión Hace la Fuerza\" and \"Farmworkers Deserve Disaster Pay\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NBJWJ board member and former farmworker Ana Salgado (center) speaks at Monday’s press conference at Healdsburg Plaza. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Only a few blocks away from that plaza is the community center where Salgado originally met several of the men then working for Mauritson. She remembers the first conversations she had with the laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I looked at one of them and saw the worry in his face,” she said in Spanish, “I reached out to hold his hands and told him, ‘you can open up now, you’re in a safe space.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So many [H-2A laborers] are afraid of losing the opportunity they have because employers tell them that it is a privilege to be brought from Mexico with a visa,” she explained. “They may be experiencing many abuses but they do not want to say anything because they are afraid of losing what they consider to be a privilege.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Just law on paper’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The H-2A visa program is the successor of the Bracero Program, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/31/634442195/when-the-u-s-government-tried-to-replace-migrant-farmworkers-with-high-schoolers\">which brought Mexican workers to American farms during the 1940s\u003c/a>. The current H-2A system now brings laborers from all over the world to work in the U.S. and as part of the program, employers must provide housing, transportation and meals — giving businesses an incredible amount of power over the personal lives of their workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And just like the Bracero Program, \u003ca href=\"https://prismreports.org/2023/04/14/h2a-visa-wage-theft-exploitation/\">the H-2A system is rife with wage theft, physical and mental abuse of employees and retaliation from employers for workers who speak up\u003c/a>, according to an 18-month investigation by Prism, Futuro Investigates, and Latino USA published in April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956409\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956409\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A person with a shaved head speaks in front of others holding signs reading \"Farmworkers Deserve Disaster Pay\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NBJWJ Director Davin Cárdenas speaks at Monday’s press conference at Healdsburg Plaza. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Both the federal government and California have beefed up their labor laws since the 1940s, so why does abuse of H-2A laborers persist?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One reason is that regulatory agencies need more personnel and resources to enforce labor standards, says Josephine Weinberg, attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), a nonprofit law firm that represents farmworkers who have experienced retaliation and workplace abuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have agencies in place. We have a lot of the rules in place. But the mechanisms to really enforce those rules and monitor are really lacking. So it really is just law on paper,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 1 in 3 positions remain vacant at the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, one of the agencies tasked with investigating wage theft and retaliation across all industries in the state. Such understaffing leaves current staff overburdened with cases, which means workers who file a complaint often have to wait years for a result. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">Dozens of agency employees implored lawmakers to take action in a letter obtained by KQED earlier this month\u003c/a>, arguing that “we are failing in our mission if we cannot hire and retain the necessary staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11955920]Over at the ALRB, regional director Arciniega points out that her agency has five offices spread over several agricultural regions, “but California is a humongous state and there’s a lot of farmworkers throughout the state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have offices in all of the agricultural regions,” she said, “so we do our best in this large state to cover wherever workers are.” She adds that the department works closely with community and labor organizations, like NBJWJ, to connect with laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But labor advocates insist that more must be done to better enforce labor standards and improve the H-2A program as a whole. Weinberg with the CRLA adds that regulators need to monitor farms more closely, with randomized visits during the growing season. And on the flip side, employers must make it easier for agencies and labor groups to speak to farmworkers in an unrestricted manner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The way the H-2A program was designed, where businesses have direct control over their employees’ housing, transportation, immigration status and even food, makes it incredibly difficult for laborers to speak freely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don’t have access to a place where they feel that they can speak confidentially or anonymously about what’s going on,” Weinberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">announced a $4.5 million pilot program to provide free immigration legal services to farmworkers who are involved in state labor investigations\u003c/a>. This would include case review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney to laborers in California who have a pending case with either the ALRB, the Labor Commissioner’s Office or Cal/OSHA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11956315]The goal of this program, officials say, is to address one of the fears that prevents employees from speaking up — the fear of losing their visa or not being rehired — by connecting them to immigration experts who could help them find ways to stay in this country. And earlier this year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940316/fear-of-deportation-keeps-some-workers-from-reporting-labor-abuses-a-new-biden-program-aims-to-change-that\">the Biden administration unveiled a new, streamlined “deferred action” initiative\u003c/a> that allows workers to apply for a work permit and two years of protection from deportation, if they are cooperating with a labor rights investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But above all, what really helps folks feel safe enough to speak up, Salgado from NBJWJ says, is knowing that there are cases when the system works in favor of workers. “Without a doubt, the outcome from the Mauritson case, reaffirms the faith amongst ourselves, but also the credibility of the work we do when we go out to talk to the workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>Editor’s note: The original version of this story mischaracterized Mauritson Farms, Inc. as a winery. The story has been updated to clarify the relationship between Mauritson Farms, Inc. and Mauritson Wines.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Tyche Hendricks.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "How Workers Took on a Sonoma County Vineyard Company Over Abuses — and Won | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957505/campesinos-denunciaron-a-un-vinedo-por-abusos-laborales-y-ganaron\">Leer en español\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#correction\">This story contains a correction.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">M\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>auritson Farms Inc. in Sonoma County will pay $328,077 to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">21 of its former workers\u003c/a> as part of a \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885712/settlement-agreement-june-2023.pdf\">settlement\u003c/a> with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) — the largest monetary settlement the agency has reached at its Santa Rosa office. ALRB officials, along with dozens of labor advocates and farmworkers, announced the settlement at a press conference Monday evening in Healdsburg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mauritson Farms Inc., which manages vineyards, is a separate and distinct business from \u003ca href=\"https://www.mauritsonwines.com/About-Us/Our-Team\">Mauritson Wines\u003c/a>. Both businesses are owned by the Mauritson family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following an investigation spurred by the farmworkers’ complaints, ALRB officials determined that Mauritson Farms retaliated against an entire crew of former employees because some of them organized at the end of the 2021 growing season to speak out against unsafe working conditions in Mauritson’s vineyards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We must recognize that this is a victory started by workers to defend not just their rights, but their dignity as well,” said organizer Davin Cárdenas at Monday’s conference. Cárdenas is the director of organizing at North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ), a labor rights group that supported the former Mauritson employees through the ALRB investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a case that sets a precedent for other workers in the region,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The workers involved were immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, and were in the country on an H-2A visa, which lets agricultural workers stay in the U.S. for limited periods of time. KQED first reported last year that despite promises from company leadership, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">none of the workers who spoke out were called back from Oaxaca for the 2022 season\u003c/a>. In its complaint filed against Mauritson this past March, the ALRB \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885711/alrb-complaint-march-2023.pdf\">determined that Mauritson not rehiring these laborers constituted an illegal labor practice\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I got the news, I thanked God it went this way, because this was not at all easy. We were very afraid to speak up. It was a complicated process but you have to let go of that fear,” said Martín Sandoval Rivera, one of the workers who spoke up against the conditions at Mauritson Farms. He’s currently in Oaxaca, working several jobs to support his wife who is expecting their first child.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandoval Rivera and his colleagues said they experienced verbal harassment from their supervisor, were denied shade while working in the fields on days hotter than 90 degrees and did not receive their break and lunch periods on a few occasions — all of which violates California labor regulations. Six of the workers, including Sandoval Rivera, sought the support of labor rights group North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ) to mediate the situation. NBJWJ arranged a meeting with the workers and company higher-ups in October 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that meeting, vineyard manager Cameron Mauritson promised that conditions would improve and assured the workers that he would hire them again in 2022 — relieving the workers’ biggest worry: being denied future employment for speaking up. Then the company — which workers said had previously handled the recruitment process directly using social media — chose to contract with a third-party recruiter, CIERTO Global, to handle hiring for the 2022 season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group from Oaxaca never had a real chance to come back. According to the ALRB complaint, CIERTO Global recruits exclusively from a completely different state in Mexico for grape-growing companies. On top of that, screengrabs from a Facebook group the Oaxacan workers shared with KQED showed that Mauritson management shared incorrect information on how workers should contact CIERTO for future employment. CIERTO representatives confirmed to KQED that Mauritson’s instructions to either submit a form at a specific location on CIERTO’s website or to email a given email address were false.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These instructions do not reflect our practices involving any of the workers we serve,” a CIERTO representative said in an emailed response. “Mauritson’s instructions were not cleared or disseminated by CIERTO.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>When the workers realized what was happening, they alerted NBJWJ. In February 2022, organizers filed a claim with the ALRB on behalf of the six workers who attended the meeting with Mauritson. Six initially spoke up — but in its investigation, the ALRB found that Mauritson retaliated against the entire 21-person team the six workers belonged to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The $328,077 settlement, which will benefit all 21 laborers, represents what the workers lost by missing the 2022 growing season, according to calculations from the ALRB. A hearing with an administrative law judge had been scheduled for later this summer, but the settlement concludes this process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement emailed to KQED, Mauritson Farms declared that it “strongly believes that [it was] not in any violation of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA). This settlement is strictly a business decision that allows us to resolve this issue without the need for further litigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956408\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956408\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A group of people sit together holding signs reading \"La Unión Hace La Fuerza\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworkers Antonio Flores (left) and his son Mateo, Rosalba Gutierrez (center) and Valentina Sosa (right) sit at the NBJWJ press conference announcing the settlement with Mauritson at Healdsburg Plaza on Monday. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“After so much abuse, I think it’s fair that our rights are respected and we are respected for who we are,” said Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, one of the six laborers who met with Mauritson. During the past year and a half, he’s hustled to work any job he can find in his rural Oaxacan community to support his wife and two children, and at the same time, kept in touch with ALRB officials who were investigating the situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For months, the ALRB worked to track down the 21 workers who were not rehired. After the 2021 season ended, many returned to remote villages in Oaxaca, where access to the internet and cell phone reception is extremely limited and for some, non-existent. Tracking folks down was one challenge, said ALRB regional director Jessica Arciniega. The other was establishing trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With many of our cases, there’s challenges in maintaining communication with workers,” she said. “They [could be] unfamiliar with our process, they [could be] unfamiliar with us, as a government agency. and what we actually do. So they may not always feel 100% ready or comfortable to share all of this information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘So many [H-2A laborers] are afraid of losing the opportunity they have… They may be experiencing many abuses but they do not want to say anything because they are afraid of losing what they consider to be a privilege.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Workers are not just afraid of experiencing further retaliation from the same employer, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">as KQED reported last year, many H-2A employers use a network of recruiters to block workers who speak up from finding a job\u003c/a> in other agricultural industries. In that same story, KQED shared the story of Kevin and Samuel, two former Mauritson employees who were among the six that initially spoke up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kevin and Samuel were actually aliases for Sandoval Rivera and Bravo Silva, respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, both men were very afraid of what the repercussions would be if they shared their identities publicly during the ALRB investigation. As weeks turned into months, Sandoval Rivera felt less and less confident that there would be an answer from officials, especially as his family’s economic situation worsened. “Necessity makes you think many things,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, he and Bravo Silva are glad they waited for the results of the investigation and the settlement. This won’t just benefit them, Bravo Silva says, “but also the immigrant workers who are now working at that company, so that they are respected more and they don’t feel alone. There are laws that protect agricultural workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Celebrating a hard-won victory\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With banners and signs — many of them emblazoned with Emiliano Zapata’s quote “La tierra es de quien la trabaja,” or “The land belongs to those who work it with their hands” — farmworkers and NBJWJ organizers filled up part of Healdsburg’s main plaza for Monday’s press conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You represent the farmworkers who are not able to be here today but whose courage has left us this legacy: that by fighting and finding allies, we, as workers, can achieve many things,” said Ana Salgado former farmworker, community organizer and member of the NBJWJ board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956412\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956412\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A person wearing earrings speaks in front of others holding signs reading \"La Unión Hace la Fuerza\" and \"Farmworkers Deserve Disaster Pay\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NBJWJ board member and former farmworker Ana Salgado (center) speaks at Monday’s press conference at Healdsburg Plaza. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Only a few blocks away from that plaza is the community center where Salgado originally met several of the men then working for Mauritson. She remembers the first conversations she had with the laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I looked at one of them and saw the worry in his face,” she said in Spanish, “I reached out to hold his hands and told him, ‘you can open up now, you’re in a safe space.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So many [H-2A laborers] are afraid of losing the opportunity they have because employers tell them that it is a privilege to be brought from Mexico with a visa,” she explained. “They may be experiencing many abuses but they do not want to say anything because they are afraid of losing what they consider to be a privilege.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Just law on paper’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The H-2A visa program is the successor of the Bracero Program, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/31/634442195/when-the-u-s-government-tried-to-replace-migrant-farmworkers-with-high-schoolers\">which brought Mexican workers to American farms during the 1940s\u003c/a>. The current H-2A system now brings laborers from all over the world to work in the U.S. and as part of the program, employers must provide housing, transportation and meals — giving businesses an incredible amount of power over the personal lives of their workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And just like the Bracero Program, \u003ca href=\"https://prismreports.org/2023/04/14/h2a-visa-wage-theft-exploitation/\">the H-2A system is rife with wage theft, physical and mental abuse of employees and retaliation from employers for workers who speak up\u003c/a>, according to an 18-month investigation by Prism, Futuro Investigates, and Latino USA published in April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956409\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956409\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A person with a shaved head speaks in front of others holding signs reading \"Farmworkers Deserve Disaster Pay\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NBJWJ Director Davin Cárdenas speaks at Monday’s press conference at Healdsburg Plaza. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Both the federal government and California have beefed up their labor laws since the 1940s, so why does abuse of H-2A laborers persist?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One reason is that regulatory agencies need more personnel and resources to enforce labor standards, says Josephine Weinberg, attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), a nonprofit law firm that represents farmworkers who have experienced retaliation and workplace abuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have agencies in place. We have a lot of the rules in place. But the mechanisms to really enforce those rules and monitor are really lacking. So it really is just law on paper,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 1 in 3 positions remain vacant at the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, one of the agencies tasked with investigating wage theft and retaliation across all industries in the state. Such understaffing leaves current staff overburdened with cases, which means workers who file a complaint often have to wait years for a result. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">Dozens of agency employees implored lawmakers to take action in a letter obtained by KQED earlier this month\u003c/a>, arguing that “we are failing in our mission if we cannot hire and retain the necessary staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Over at the ALRB, regional director Arciniega points out that her agency has five offices spread over several agricultural regions, “but California is a humongous state and there’s a lot of farmworkers throughout the state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have offices in all of the agricultural regions,” she said, “so we do our best in this large state to cover wherever workers are.” She adds that the department works closely with community and labor organizations, like NBJWJ, to connect with laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But labor advocates insist that more must be done to better enforce labor standards and improve the H-2A program as a whole. Weinberg with the CRLA adds that regulators need to monitor farms more closely, with randomized visits during the growing season. And on the flip side, employers must make it easier for agencies and labor groups to speak to farmworkers in an unrestricted manner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The way the H-2A program was designed, where businesses have direct control over their employees’ housing, transportation, immigration status and even food, makes it incredibly difficult for laborers to speak freely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don’t have access to a place where they feel that they can speak confidentially or anonymously about what’s going on,” Weinberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">announced a $4.5 million pilot program to provide free immigration legal services to farmworkers who are involved in state labor investigations\u003c/a>. This would include case review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney to laborers in California who have a pending case with either the ALRB, the Labor Commissioner’s Office or Cal/OSHA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The goal of this program, officials say, is to address one of the fears that prevents employees from speaking up — the fear of losing their visa or not being rehired — by connecting them to immigration experts who could help them find ways to stay in this country. And earlier this year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940316/fear-of-deportation-keeps-some-workers-from-reporting-labor-abuses-a-new-biden-program-aims-to-change-that\">the Biden administration unveiled a new, streamlined “deferred action” initiative\u003c/a> that allows workers to apply for a work permit and two years of protection from deportation, if they are cooperating with a labor rights investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But above all, what really helps folks feel safe enough to speak up, Salgado from NBJWJ says, is knowing that there are cases when the system works in favor of workers. “Without a doubt, the outcome from the Mauritson case, reaffirms the faith amongst ourselves, but also the credibility of the work we do when we go out to talk to the workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>Editor’s note: The original version of this story mischaracterized Mauritson Farms, Inc. as a winery. The story has been updated to clarify the relationship between Mauritson Farms, Inc. and Mauritson Wines.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Tyche Hendricks.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Some Migrant Farmworkers to Get Free Legal Help With Immigration",
"headTitle": "Some Migrant Farmworkers to Get Free Legal Help With Immigration | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California will begin paying for free legal help with immigration for undocumented farmworkers who are involved in state investigations of wage theft or other labor violations, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The $4.5 million pilot program will provide qualifying farmworkers with referrals for legal help with their immigration status. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roughly half of California’s farmworker population is believed to be undocumented. Fear of deportation and difficulties finding jobs \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">can discourage workers from filing labor complaints\u003c/a> or serving as witnesses in cases alleging unsafe work temperatures, wage theft, or employer retaliation for unionizing, officials said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Maria Elena De La Garza, executive director, Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County\"]‘The time is now for us to ensure that immigrant labor rights are upheld and respected.’[/pullquote]“Farmworkers are the backbone of our economy, and we won’t stand by as bad actors use the threat of deportation as a form of exploitation,” Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/07/19/california-providing-free-legal-services-for-undocumented-farmworkers/\">said in a press release\u003c/a>. “In the absence of Congress modernizing our broken, outdated immigration system, California continues our efforts to support immigrant families.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State labor investigations into wage theft and other violations often take years to resolve, a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2022/11/california-wage-theft-workers/?series=unpaid-wages-california-workers\">CalMatters investigation revealed last year\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes workers give up the battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Respecting immigrant rights\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Farmworkers in labor investigations who qualify for the new state program will receive a direct referral to legal services organizations that already offer immigration services, such as the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County or the United Farm Workers Foundation, which spoke in support of the program. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11918317 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/06/FarmworkersIlloVignet-1020x659.jpg']The free legal services workers could receive include case review, legal advice and representation by an attorney, according to Newsom’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The time is now for us to ensure that immigrant labor rights are upheld and respected,” said Maria Elena De La Garza, executive director of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County. “We commend the state for supporting this pilot, which will help ensure that legal services are available and accessible through partnerships with trusted community-based organizations across California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials did not answer questions about when the program would begin this year, which community organizations it would partner with, or how many cases the pilot program is expected to process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Funding for the pilot program will come from the $45 million the state annually allocates for immigration services from the California Department of Social Services, said Erin Hickey, spokesperson for the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency. The state is still completing contracts with selected immigration service providers, she said. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Deferred deportation\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>State officials said the pilot program aligns with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/01/13/dhs-announces-process-enhancements-supporting-labor-enforcement-investigations\">new Biden administration policy\u003c/a> that makes it easier for undocumented workers who are victims of labor rights violations to request deferred action from deportation. Because the federal Department of Homeland Security can’t respond to all immigration violations, it exercises “prosecutorial discretion” to decide who to try to deport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dhs_deferred_action_FAQ.htm\">State officials said\u003c/a> they won’t ask for workers’ immigration status, but noncitizens granted this deferred action may be eligible for work authorization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11955359,news_11955083,news_11940316\" label=\"Related Stories\"]This year, California labor department officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dhs_deferred_action_FAQ.htm\">began supporting\u003c/a> undocumented workers’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/01/13/dhs-announces-process-enhancements-supporting-labor-enforcement-investigations\">requests for prosecutorial discretion\u003c/a> or deferred action from federal immigration officials, including when employers threaten workers with immigration enforcement to prevent workers from cooperating with state investigators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Department of Industrial Relations’ Labor Commissioner’s Office … was the first state agency to request deferred action from DHS for employees in an active investigation, and that request was successful,” Hickey said. “This is an important process for undocumented workers to be aware of.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A point person assigned to the pilot program will help connect farmworkers with legal service providers. Other state labor agencies already have staffers working with federal immigration officials on prosecutorial discretion cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/esmeralda-soria-1982/\">Esmerelda Soria\u003c/a>, a Merced Democrat and new chairperson of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, said this is a welcome way to ensure farmworkers among her Central Valley constituents won’t be exploited. Although other organizations serving farmworkers provide similar types of legal aid, she said, funding rarely matches the need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, California acknowledges that we have a broken system,” Soria told CalMatters. “Especially in the region that I represent, farmworkers are really the backbone of one of the largest agricultural economies in the country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California will begin paying for free legal help with immigration for undocumented farmworkers who are involved in state investigations of wage theft or other labor violations, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The $4.5 million pilot program will provide qualifying farmworkers with referrals for legal help with their immigration status. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roughly half of California’s farmworker population is believed to be undocumented. Fear of deportation and difficulties finding jobs \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">can discourage workers from filing labor complaints\u003c/a> or serving as witnesses in cases alleging unsafe work temperatures, wage theft, or employer retaliation for unionizing, officials said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘The time is now for us to ensure that immigrant labor rights are upheld and respected.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Farmworkers are the backbone of our economy, and we won’t stand by as bad actors use the threat of deportation as a form of exploitation,” Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/07/19/california-providing-free-legal-services-for-undocumented-farmworkers/\">said in a press release\u003c/a>. “In the absence of Congress modernizing our broken, outdated immigration system, California continues our efforts to support immigrant families.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State labor investigations into wage theft and other violations often take years to resolve, a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2022/11/california-wage-theft-workers/?series=unpaid-wages-california-workers\">CalMatters investigation revealed last year\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes workers give up the battle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Respecting immigrant rights\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Farmworkers in labor investigations who qualify for the new state program will receive a direct referral to legal services organizations that already offer immigration services, such as the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County or the United Farm Workers Foundation, which spoke in support of the program. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The free legal services workers could receive include case review, legal advice and representation by an attorney, according to Newsom’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The time is now for us to ensure that immigrant labor rights are upheld and respected,” said Maria Elena De La Garza, executive director of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County. “We commend the state for supporting this pilot, which will help ensure that legal services are available and accessible through partnerships with trusted community-based organizations across California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials did not answer questions about when the program would begin this year, which community organizations it would partner with, or how many cases the pilot program is expected to process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Funding for the pilot program will come from the $45 million the state annually allocates for immigration services from the California Department of Social Services, said Erin Hickey, spokesperson for the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency. The state is still completing contracts with selected immigration service providers, she said. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Deferred deportation\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>State officials said the pilot program aligns with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/01/13/dhs-announces-process-enhancements-supporting-labor-enforcement-investigations\">new Biden administration policy\u003c/a> that makes it easier for undocumented workers who are victims of labor rights violations to request deferred action from deportation. Because the federal Department of Homeland Security can’t respond to all immigration violations, it exercises “prosecutorial discretion” to decide who to try to deport.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dhs_deferred_action_FAQ.htm\">State officials said\u003c/a> they won’t ask for workers’ immigration status, but noncitizens granted this deferred action may be eligible for work authorization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This year, California labor department officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dhs_deferred_action_FAQ.htm\">began supporting\u003c/a> undocumented workers’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/01/13/dhs-announces-process-enhancements-supporting-labor-enforcement-investigations\">requests for prosecutorial discretion\u003c/a> or deferred action from federal immigration officials, including when employers threaten workers with immigration enforcement to prevent workers from cooperating with state investigators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Department of Industrial Relations’ Labor Commissioner’s Office … was the first state agency to request deferred action from DHS for employees in an active investigation, and that request was successful,” Hickey said. “This is an important process for undocumented workers to be aware of.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A point person assigned to the pilot program will help connect farmworkers with legal service providers. Other state labor agencies already have staffers working with federal immigration officials on prosecutorial discretion cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/esmeralda-soria-1982/\">Esmerelda Soria\u003c/a>, a Merced Democrat and new chairperson of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, said this is a welcome way to ensure farmworkers among her Central Valley constituents won’t be exploited. Although other organizations serving farmworkers provide similar types of legal aid, she said, funding rarely matches the need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, California acknowledges that we have a broken system,” Soria told CalMatters. “Especially in the region that I represent, farmworkers are really the backbone of one of the largest agricultural economies in the country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Fast-Tracks Rules to Protect Stonecutters From 'Horrible' Deaths",
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"content": "\u003cp>California workplace regulators have committed to fast-tracking the development of new rules to protect countertop fabrication workers who are inhaling toxic silica dust that doctors say is causing a growing number of young men to irreversibly lose their capacity to breathe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dozens of cases of the deadly disease silicosis have been identified in recent years among mostly immigrant workers, some in their 20s, who cut and sand a material known as engineered or artificial stone to make kitchen and bath countertops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as Cal/OSHA, the state agency charged with protecting workers’ health,\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/petition-597-CalOSHAeval.pdf\"> declared (PDF)\u003c/a> that a state ban on the use of engineered stone products may be warranted in the near future. And last month, Los Angeles County, where most of the sickened stonecutters are, took a first step in considering a county-wide \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/health/la-county-supervisors-take-initial-step-toward-a-ban-on-artificial-stone-countertops\">prohibition\u003c/a> on the sale, fabrication and installation of silica fabricated stone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Engineered stone products have grown in popularity in recent decades because they are easy to clean, resistant to stains and often cheaper than natural stone. But their high silica content, upward of 90%, is linked to a \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/health/news/ancient-lung-disease-strikes-countertop-cutters-in-la\">more aggressive form\u003c/a> of silicosis striking stonecutters exposed to airborne particles when handling the material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve witnessed this disease deteriorate their bodies, turning able-bodied 20- and 30-year-old men into skeletons. I’ve witnessed them waste away and die horrible deaths on life support while waiting for lung transplants,” Dr. Jane Fazio, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center told the state board tasked with considering workplace safety rules on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fazio said she and her colleagues at the county hospital have diagnosed more than 40 young men with silicosis in the last two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m honestly shocked and frustrated that in California and the United States of America we are allowing the completely preventable deaths of young, honest and unassuming working men and fathers in the name of industry,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fazio was among a slew of health professionals who urged board members to act swiftly to save workers’ lives. But some of the most arresting testimony came from a soft-spoken 27-year-old man whose survival now depends on receiving a lung transplant.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Dr. Jane Fazio, pulmonary and critical care physician, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center\"]‘I’m honestly shocked and frustrated that in California and the United States of America we are allowing the completely preventable deaths of young, honest and unassuming working men and fathers in the name of industry.’[/pullquote]Speaking via a video feed, while connected to an oxygen tank that now aids his breathing around the clock, Leobardo Segura-Meza told the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/oshsb.html\">Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board\u003c/a> that several of his co-workers who cut engineered stone were also diagnosed with silicosis, two of whom have died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope the board takes emergency measures so that other young people like me don’t get sick,” Segura-Meza, a father of three, said in Spanish, as his wife sat next to him. “I’m afraid there aren’t enough lungs for countertop fabrication workers like us to get lung transplants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the 77 silicosis cases identified among engineered-stone fabrication workers since 2019, at least 10 people have died, according to the California Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 75% of the cases were identified in Los Angeles County, where the majority of countertop fabrication shops are located, and 11% in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the health agency noted that with hundreds of such stone cutting shops in the state, those figures are likely an undercount, as additional cases may not be reported or yet diagnosed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For centuries, silicosis has felled stonecutters, builders, masons, sandblasters and miners. The disease is caused by tiny, crystalline silica particles that lodge in the lungs and produce scarring that eventually prevents the absorption of oxygen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the current iteration of the disease increasingly found in workers cutting engineered stone — as opposed to natural stone — is far more lethal and rapidly debilitating, said Eric Berg, Cal/OSHA’s deputy chief of health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Australia \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/28/australia-moves-to-ban-silica-engineered-stone-benchtops-silicosis-fatal-lung-disease\">took steps\u003c/a> to become the first in the world to prohibit the use of artificial stone. Responding to a rising rate of silicosis, the Australian government directed its policymaking body to prepare a plan to ban the products, which would go into effect 12 months after a decision is announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Segura-Meza, the stonecutter suffering from silicosis, said that during his 10 years on the job, he wore masks he believed reduced the dust he inhaled, but only recently realized they did not provide adequate protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he was first hospitalized in February 2022, doctors initially misdiagnosed him with tuberculosis, before additional testing revealed silicosis. He said he hasn’t been able to make a living since then and has gone on disability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can no longer support my wife and children,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Thursday’s board meeting, an attorney with ties to the engineered stone industry questioned the need to urgently implement any new protections for workers and stiffer penalties for employers. He instead advocated for more outreach on best safety practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Industry leaders support being actively involved in driving awareness in an education campaign and enforcement of existing standards, including potentially developing a certification process for fabricators,” said Andrew Young, a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Raphael Metzger, attorney, Metzger Law Group\"]‘What’s happening to these workers is nothing short of tragic. No one should have to go to work and be at risk of death in your 20s. That just shouldn’t be.’[/pullquote]The standards board ultimately voted 4–0 to grant the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/petition-597.html\">petition\u003c/a> by a medical association for Cal/OSHA to craft emergency rules covering workplaces that fabricate engineered stone products with high silica content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current proposal would prohibit dry-cutting the material and require employers to provide workers with greater protections, such as air-supplied respirators or powered air-purifying respirators. Physicians and other licensed health care professionals would also be required to report moderate to severe cases of silicosis to the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA officials said the new rules would take about four months to prepare before being submitted to the board for approval, as they still require input from the industry and other affected parties. Because the emergency rule would be temporary, lasting only a year, the agency said it would also start working on a permanent regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If inspections find that the new rules, once implemented, are not being followed, the state should start making plans to ban the use of engineered stone products altogether within a year, Cal/OSHA officials said. In a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/petition-597-CalOSHAeval.pdf\">evaluation (PDF)\u003c/a>, the agency expressed doubt that the material could be used safely at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the standards board decision, Segura-Meza told KQED he felt that the vote was a step in the right direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s important that people take more precautions. This disease is something very, very difficult,” said Segura-Meza, who recently sued dozens of engineered stone companies, including large manufacturers and distributors, for damages that would cover his injuries and medical expenses. “If I’d known about the dangers, I wouldn’t have done that kind of work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His attorney, Raphael Metzger, said large product manufacturers are not providing their customers with vital information to protect workers’ health, such as the need for air-supplied respirators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s happening to these workers is nothing short of tragic,” said Metzger, who represents 19 other workers with silicosis in separate lawsuits. “No one should have to go to work and be at risk of death in your 20s. That just shouldn’t be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California workplace regulators have committed to fast-tracking the development of new rules to protect countertop fabrication workers who are inhaling toxic silica dust that doctors say is causing a growing number of young men to irreversibly lose their capacity to breathe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dozens of cases of the deadly disease silicosis have been identified in recent years among mostly immigrant workers, some in their 20s, who cut and sand a material known as engineered or artificial stone to make kitchen and bath countertops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as Cal/OSHA, the state agency charged with protecting workers’ health,\u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/petition-597-CalOSHAeval.pdf\"> declared (PDF)\u003c/a> that a state ban on the use of engineered stone products may be warranted in the near future. And last month, Los Angeles County, where most of the sickened stonecutters are, took a first step in considering a county-wide \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/health/la-county-supervisors-take-initial-step-toward-a-ban-on-artificial-stone-countertops\">prohibition\u003c/a> on the sale, fabrication and installation of silica fabricated stone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Engineered stone products have grown in popularity in recent decades because they are easy to clean, resistant to stains and often cheaper than natural stone. But their high silica content, upward of 90%, is linked to a \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/health/news/ancient-lung-disease-strikes-countertop-cutters-in-la\">more aggressive form\u003c/a> of silicosis striking stonecutters exposed to airborne particles when handling the material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve witnessed this disease deteriorate their bodies, turning able-bodied 20- and 30-year-old men into skeletons. I’ve witnessed them waste away and die horrible deaths on life support while waiting for lung transplants,” Dr. Jane Fazio, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center told the state board tasked with considering workplace safety rules on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fazio said she and her colleagues at the county hospital have diagnosed more than 40 young men with silicosis in the last two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m honestly shocked and frustrated that in California and the United States of America we are allowing the completely preventable deaths of young, honest and unassuming working men and fathers in the name of industry,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fazio was among a slew of health professionals who urged board members to act swiftly to save workers’ lives. But some of the most arresting testimony came from a soft-spoken 27-year-old man whose survival now depends on receiving a lung transplant.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Speaking via a video feed, while connected to an oxygen tank that now aids his breathing around the clock, Leobardo Segura-Meza told the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/oshsb.html\">Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board\u003c/a> that several of his co-workers who cut engineered stone were also diagnosed with silicosis, two of whom have died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope the board takes emergency measures so that other young people like me don’t get sick,” Segura-Meza, a father of three, said in Spanish, as his wife sat next to him. “I’m afraid there aren’t enough lungs for countertop fabrication workers like us to get lung transplants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the 77 silicosis cases identified among engineered-stone fabrication workers since 2019, at least 10 people have died, according to the California Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 75% of the cases were identified in Los Angeles County, where the majority of countertop fabrication shops are located, and 11% in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the health agency noted that with hundreds of such stone cutting shops in the state, those figures are likely an undercount, as additional cases may not be reported or yet diagnosed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For centuries, silicosis has felled stonecutters, builders, masons, sandblasters and miners. The disease is caused by tiny, crystalline silica particles that lodge in the lungs and produce scarring that eventually prevents the absorption of oxygen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the current iteration of the disease increasingly found in workers cutting engineered stone — as opposed to natural stone — is far more lethal and rapidly debilitating, said Eric Berg, Cal/OSHA’s deputy chief of health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Australia \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/28/australia-moves-to-ban-silica-engineered-stone-benchtops-silicosis-fatal-lung-disease\">took steps\u003c/a> to become the first in the world to prohibit the use of artificial stone. Responding to a rising rate of silicosis, the Australian government directed its policymaking body to prepare a plan to ban the products, which would go into effect 12 months after a decision is announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Segura-Meza, the stonecutter suffering from silicosis, said that during his 10 years on the job, he wore masks he believed reduced the dust he inhaled, but only recently realized they did not provide adequate protection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When he was first hospitalized in February 2022, doctors initially misdiagnosed him with tuberculosis, before additional testing revealed silicosis. He said he hasn’t been able to make a living since then and has gone on disability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can no longer support my wife and children,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Thursday’s board meeting, an attorney with ties to the engineered stone industry questioned the need to urgently implement any new protections for workers and stiffer penalties for employers. He instead advocated for more outreach on best safety practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Industry leaders support being actively involved in driving awareness in an education campaign and enforcement of existing standards, including potentially developing a certification process for fabricators,” said Andrew Young, a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The standards board ultimately voted 4–0 to grant the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/petition-597.html\">petition\u003c/a> by a medical association for Cal/OSHA to craft emergency rules covering workplaces that fabricate engineered stone products with high silica content.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current proposal would prohibit dry-cutting the material and require employers to provide workers with greater protections, such as air-supplied respirators or powered air-purifying respirators. Physicians and other licensed health care professionals would also be required to report moderate to severe cases of silicosis to the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA officials said the new rules would take about four months to prepare before being submitted to the board for approval, as they still require input from the industry and other affected parties. Because the emergency rule would be temporary, lasting only a year, the agency said it would also start working on a permanent regulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If inspections find that the new rules, once implemented, are not being followed, the state should start making plans to ban the use of engineered stone products altogether within a year, Cal/OSHA officials said. In a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/petition-597-CalOSHAeval.pdf\">evaluation (PDF)\u003c/a>, the agency expressed doubt that the material could be used safely at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the standards board decision, Segura-Meza told KQED he felt that the vote was a step in the right direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s important that people take more precautions. This disease is something very, very difficult,” said Segura-Meza, who recently sued dozens of engineered stone companies, including large manufacturers and distributors, for damages that would cover his injuries and medical expenses. “If I’d known about the dangers, I wouldn’t have done that kind of work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His attorney, Raphael Metzger, said large product manufacturers are not providing their customers with vital information to protect workers’ health, such as the need for air-supplied respirators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s happening to these workers is nothing short of tragic,” said Metzger, who represents 19 other workers with silicosis in separate lawsuits. “No one should have to go to work and be at risk of death in your 20s. That just shouldn’t be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>About 1 in 3 positions at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">California Labor Commissioner’s Office\u003c/a>, the agency tasked with investigating wage theft and other labor law violations, remain unfilled. The vacancy “crisis” is leading to burnout, low morale and the hemorrhaging of staffers, according to a letter by dozens of department employees obtained by KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as tens of thousands of Californians, who claim their employers shorted them on their paychecks, are forced to contend with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11913910/despite-record-budget-surplus-california-unlikely-to-fix-massive-wage-theft-claim-delays-anytime-soon\">massive delays\u003c/a> in seeing their cases resolved by the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In their letter, the nearly 80 rank-and-file employees of the Labor Commissioner’s Office implored lawmakers to address major barriers such as an “unreasonably slow” hiring process and low compensation, which they say prevent the agency from achieving a fully staffed department that can efficiently tackle the growing backlog of cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staffing vacancies have reached 30% to 40% in various units of the agency, they added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are failing in our mission if we cannot hire and retain the necessary staff,” they wrote. “The high vacancy rate naturally leads to higher caseloads, additional work responding to members of the public inquiring about the status of their claims, lower morale due to historic backlogs and increased stress.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The July 9 message to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective of agency employees who are struggling to respond to an increasing volume of new wage-theft complaints exacerbated by hundreds of unfilled positions the state has budgeted for.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Joint statement, California Labor Commissioner’s Office employees\"]‘The high vacancy rate naturally leads to higher caseloads, additional work responding to members of the public inquiring about the status of their claims, lower morale due to historic backlogs and increased stress.’[/pullquote]The Labor Commissioner employees requested an audit focusing on how to make salaries at their agency more competitive — and how to fix a “crippling inability” to hire and retain staff by the California Human Resources Department (CalHR) and human resources at the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State government tends to offer lower wages when compared to the private sector, while hiring tends to be slower as well, according to experts. But salaries at the Labor Commissioner’s Office lag by nearly 30% compared to public-sector peers, said the employees, and the hiring process is so slow and inefficient that qualified candidates end up taking jobs elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those inefficiencies include making candidates apply multiple times for the same job after CalHR or the Department of Industrial Relations decides a new job posting is required, said the staffers, who include hearing officers, attorneys and investigators throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All those hoops constitute extra work for Labor Commissioner employees, too. They worried that sometimes the HR departments decide “ … after our staff [spends] countless hours interviewing and vetting candidates, that the candidates … from the list HR itself provided, do not meet minimum qualifications for the positions,” the letter stated.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Over 200 vacant positions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nearly 240 positions were vacant at the Labor Commissioner’s Office in May 2022, according to public testimony by agency officials. Even in years when Gov. Gavin \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11913910/despite-record-budget-surplus-california-unlikely-to-fix-massive-wage-theft-claim-delays-anytime-soon\">Newsom proposed expanding the agency’s budget\u003c/a> to hire more employees, the agency remained severely understaffed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Industrial Relations did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for CalHR said the department is trying to improve the hiring process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“CalHR is working on a number of strategies to help eliminate barriers to hiring and retaining employees,” said Camille Travis, deputy director of communications at CalHR, in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They include the Work for California recruitment campaign which kicked off in February, increasing the number of hiring events with our department partners (virtual and in-person), and improvements to CalCareers that will make it easier for candidates to navigate the state hiring process,” Travis wrote.[aside postID=news_11944515 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/CMWorkers01-1020x680.jpg']The Labor Commissioner’s wage claim process was created as a faster and free alternative for workers who lack the resources to hire an attorney and pursue their claim in court. Many of the workers who seek help from the state agency are living paycheck to paycheck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers rights advocates and labor officials agree that the longer a wage claim languishes without resolution, the harder it tends to be for workers who win their cases to ultimately recover any money. That’s in part because many businesses close, go bankrupt or move assets to avoid paying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But workers are often forced to wait years before receiving a hearing and a final decision from the state on their wage-theft cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of May 2022, about half of the 36,000 pending claims for unpaid wages at the agency had taken longer than a year to resolve, according to Labor Commissioner figures obtained and analyzed by KQED. Nearly 4,000 of those cases had languished for three years or more.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘I feel betrayed’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Landscaper Juan Carlos Alas has yet to receive a final decision on the complaint he began with the Labor Commissioner’s Office in September 2020, after his employer filed for bankruptcy and failed to pay him and co-workers the last of their wages. The father of two said he fell behind on rent payments and bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was hard because we needed the money they stole from us,” said Alas, 36, who lives in Redwood City. “If we work, we have the right to get paid for that work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But collecting any of the $22,000 in unpaid wages, overtime and penalties Alas claims may now be “difficult if not impossible,” said Jennifer Smith, Alas’ attorney at the nonprofit Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. The defendant has since moved away and can’t be located, she said.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Juan Carlos Alas, landscaper\"]‘I feel betrayed. We trusted California’s laws, and up to now, we haven’t seen any results.’[/pullquote]The nearly three-year wait has frustrated Alas, who argues the agency is supposed to help workers like him gain some justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel betrayed,” said Alas, who is originally from El Salvador. “We trusted California’s laws, and up to now, we haven’t seen any results.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, Assemblymember David Alvarez, told KQED the Labor Commissioner employee letter was “alarming” and that staffers’ concerns would inform a \u003ca href=\"https://legaudit.assembly.ca.gov/sites/legaudit.assembly.ca.gov/files/2023-104%20%20California%20Labor%20Commissioner%E2%80%99s%20Office%E2%80%94Backlog%20of%20Wage%20Theft%20Cases%20%28Sen.%20Glazer%29.pdf\">proposed audit (PDF)\u003c/a> into the backlog of wage-theft cases that is expected to begin in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alvarez, a Democrat who represents parts of San Diego County, said he would communicate with the State Auditor’s Office to ensure they take into account the staffers’ concerns. The state needs to take a close look at how the hiring process and employee compensation can be improved, he said, so that vulnerable workers get timely decisions on their wage-theft claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t believe anyone should be waiting anywhere in the magnitude of years. That is not acceptable,” said Alvarez. “That is why we approved the audit … because everybody is concerned that workers are not getting their due pay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>About 1 in 3 positions at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">California Labor Commissioner’s Office\u003c/a>, the agency tasked with investigating wage theft and other labor law violations, remain unfilled. The vacancy “crisis” is leading to burnout, low morale and the hemorrhaging of staffers, according to a letter by dozens of department employees obtained by KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as tens of thousands of Californians, who claim their employers shorted them on their paychecks, are forced to contend with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11913910/despite-record-budget-surplus-california-unlikely-to-fix-massive-wage-theft-claim-delays-anytime-soon\">massive delays\u003c/a> in seeing their cases resolved by the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In their letter, the nearly 80 rank-and-file employees of the Labor Commissioner’s Office implored lawmakers to address major barriers such as an “unreasonably slow” hiring process and low compensation, which they say prevent the agency from achieving a fully staffed department that can efficiently tackle the growing backlog of cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staffing vacancies have reached 30% to 40% in various units of the agency, they added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner employees requested an audit focusing on how to make salaries at their agency more competitive — and how to fix a “crippling inability” to hire and retain staff by the California Human Resources Department (CalHR) and human resources at the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State government tends to offer lower wages when compared to the private sector, while hiring tends to be slower as well, according to experts. But salaries at the Labor Commissioner’s Office lag by nearly 30% compared to public-sector peers, said the employees, and the hiring process is so slow and inefficient that qualified candidates end up taking jobs elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those inefficiencies include making candidates apply multiple times for the same job after CalHR or the Department of Industrial Relations decides a new job posting is required, said the staffers, who include hearing officers, attorneys and investigators throughout the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All those hoops constitute extra work for Labor Commissioner employees, too. They worried that sometimes the HR departments decide “ … after our staff [spends] countless hours interviewing and vetting candidates, that the candidates … from the list HR itself provided, do not meet minimum qualifications for the positions,” the letter stated.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Over 200 vacant positions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nearly 240 positions were vacant at the Labor Commissioner’s Office in May 2022, according to public testimony by agency officials. Even in years when Gov. Gavin \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11913910/despite-record-budget-surplus-california-unlikely-to-fix-massive-wage-theft-claim-delays-anytime-soon\">Newsom proposed expanding the agency’s budget\u003c/a> to hire more employees, the agency remained severely understaffed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Industrial Relations did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for CalHR said the department is trying to improve the hiring process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“CalHR is working on a number of strategies to help eliminate barriers to hiring and retaining employees,” said Camille Travis, deputy director of communications at CalHR, in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They include the Work for California recruitment campaign which kicked off in February, increasing the number of hiring events with our department partners (virtual and in-person), and improvements to CalCareers that will make it easier for candidates to navigate the state hiring process,” Travis wrote.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s wage claim process was created as a faster and free alternative for workers who lack the resources to hire an attorney and pursue their claim in court. Many of the workers who seek help from the state agency are living paycheck to paycheck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers rights advocates and labor officials agree that the longer a wage claim languishes without resolution, the harder it tends to be for workers who win their cases to ultimately recover any money. That’s in part because many businesses close, go bankrupt or move assets to avoid paying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But workers are often forced to wait years before receiving a hearing and a final decision from the state on their wage-theft cases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of May 2022, about half of the 36,000 pending claims for unpaid wages at the agency had taken longer than a year to resolve, according to Labor Commissioner figures obtained and analyzed by KQED. Nearly 4,000 of those cases had languished for three years or more.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘I feel betrayed’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Landscaper Juan Carlos Alas has yet to receive a final decision on the complaint he began with the Labor Commissioner’s Office in September 2020, after his employer filed for bankruptcy and failed to pay him and co-workers the last of their wages. The father of two said he fell behind on rent payments and bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was hard because we needed the money they stole from us,” said Alas, 36, who lives in Redwood City. “If we work, we have the right to get paid for that work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But collecting any of the $22,000 in unpaid wages, overtime and penalties Alas claims may now be “difficult if not impossible,” said Jennifer Smith, Alas’ attorney at the nonprofit Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. The defendant has since moved away and can’t be located, she said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The nearly three-year wait has frustrated Alas, who argues the agency is supposed to help workers like him gain some justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel betrayed,” said Alas, who is originally from El Salvador. “We trusted California’s laws, and up to now, we haven’t seen any results.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, Assemblymember David Alvarez, told KQED the Labor Commissioner employee letter was “alarming” and that staffers’ concerns would inform a \u003ca href=\"https://legaudit.assembly.ca.gov/sites/legaudit.assembly.ca.gov/files/2023-104%20%20California%20Labor%20Commissioner%E2%80%99s%20Office%E2%80%94Backlog%20of%20Wage%20Theft%20Cases%20%28Sen.%20Glazer%29.pdf\">proposed audit (PDF)\u003c/a> into the backlog of wage-theft cases that is expected to begin in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alvarez, a Democrat who represents parts of San Diego County, said he would communicate with the State Auditor’s Office to ensure they take into account the staffers’ concerns. The state needs to take a close look at how the hiring process and employee compensation can be improved, he said, so that vulnerable workers get timely decisions on their wage-theft claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t believe anyone should be waiting anywhere in the magnitude of years. That is not acceptable,” said Alvarez. “That is why we approved the audit … because everybody is concerned that workers are not getting their due pay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "¿Trabaja al aire libre? Estas son las protecciones que su jefe debe de ofrecer",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">Read in English\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>¿No tiene tiempo para leer toda la guía? Haga clic en los enlaces para visitar esa sección en particular:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#protecciones\">\u003cstrong>Si trabajo al aire libre en California, ¿cuáles son mis protecciones cuando hace mucho calor?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#hablar\">\u003cstrong>¿Cómo debo hablar con mi empleador sobre estas protecciones?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#niega\">\u003cstrong>¿Qué puedo hacer si mi empleador se niega a ofrecer estas protecciones?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#represalias\">\u003cstrong>¿Qué puedo hacer si mi empleador toma represalias contra mí por hablar sobre mis derechos?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#opciones\">\u003cstrong>¿Cuáles son mis otras opciones en este caso?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Cada año, el Área de la Bahía está experimentando olas de calor cada vez más intensas, como lo que ocurrió en septiembre de 2022, cuando varias ciudades registraron temperaturas récord. San José, Santa Rosa y otros lugares superaron los 100 grados Fahrenheit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aunque algunas personas pueden trabajar en hogares u oficinas que cuentan con aire acondicionado, muchos trabajadores esenciales, como los de la construcción, los trabajadores agrícolas y los repartidores, tienen que permanecer al aire libre, expuestos a las altas temperaturas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cuando hay una ola de calor en California, todas las compañías y patrones están obligados por ley a proporcionar cuatro cosas a sus empleados que trabajan al aire libre: agua fresca, sombra, descansos y un plan de emergencia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Estas son \u003ca href=\"https://www.99calor.org/espanol/\">las normas establecidas por la Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional de California\u003c/a> (Cal/OSHA, por sus siglas en inglés), las cuales protegen a todos aquellos que trabajan al aire libre, sin importar su situación migratoria o tipo de empleo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sin embargo, varias personas que trabajan al aire libre han compartido con KQED que no es fácil abordar este tema con su empleador. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">Algunos temen perder su trabajo si alzan la voz\u003c/a>, mientras que otros no están seguros si pueden recibir estas protecciones debido a su estatus migratorio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Es una verdadera preocupación”, dijo David Hornung, coordinador del programa de calor y agricultura de Cal/OSHA, “los trabajadores no quieren pedir sus protecciones laborales debido a su preocupación de sufrir represalias”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Si usted está trabajando al aire libre durante una ola de calor y su empleador no le otorga las protecciones necesarias, hay varias cosas que puede hacer, incluso si no se siente cómodo planteando las cosas directamente a su supervisor.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"protecciones\">\u003c/a>¿Cuáles son las protecciones de Cal/OSHA?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>En julio de 2006, \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/epic/impacts-biological-systems/heat-related-mortality-and-morbidity\">una gran ola de calor en California provocó la muerte de al menos 140 personas en dos semanas\u003c/a>, la mayor tasa de mortalidad registrada en un solo evento de calor. Debido a esta situación, los reguladores estatales decidieron aumentar las protecciones para quienes trabajan al aire libre.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“El empleador debe proveer agua potable que sea fresca y gratuita para que cada trabajador tenga lo suficiente para beber”, dijo Angela Yahaira Breining, abogada del programa de derechos laborales en el Centro Legal de la Raza en Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Según las normas de California, cada trabajador debe recibir un cuarto de galón de agua por hora (eso equivale a un poco menos de un litro de agua). E incluso si los trabajadores traen sus propias botellas de agua, los empleadores deben tener suficiente agua disponible en el lugar de trabajo.[pullquote size='medium' align='right']Cuando hay una ola de calor en California, todas las compañías y patrones están obligados por ley a proporcionar cuatro cosas a sus empleados que trabajan al aire libre: agua fresca, sombra, descansos y un plan de emergencia.[/pullquote]Cuando las temperaturas superan los 80 grados Farenheit (o 26 centigrados), los empleadores también deben proveer un área con suficiente sombra para acomodar a todos los trabajadores en el lugar, como una carpa. Pero Breining agrega que los trabajadores también tienen derecho a pedir un descanso bajo la sombra, sin importar la temperatura, siempre que estos lo consideren necesario.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Y cuando las temperaturas superan los 95 grados Farenheit (o 35 centigrados), “los supervisores deben observar a los empleados con regularidad”, dice Breining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tener un supervisor en el lugar de trabajo, explica Breining, es necesario para establecer un sistema de comunicación que pueda entrar en acción si un trabajador empieza a sentirse mal. “Si a alguien le duele la cabeza, hay que hacer que esta persona se siente, asegurarse de que haya una forma de comunicarse con los superiores y tener un plan de emergencia”, explica ella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tener un plan de emergencia es el siguiente requisito para los empleadores, dice Hornung, de Cal/OSHA. Eso incluye “entrenar a todos los empleados para que reconozcan los signos y síntomas de las enfermedades causadas por el calor en ellos mismos o en sus compañeros de trabajo”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11955911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11955911\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Un obrero está sentado en la parte trasera de una camioneta, pelando frijoles. Hay una carpa encima de la camioneta y su rostro está detrás de la carpa.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Un vendedor sentado en la parte trasera de una camioneta cubierta de lona en el distrito de la Misión de San Francisco pela frijoles el 6 de agosto de 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>¿Quién tiene derecho a estas protecciones?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Algo que Hornung escucha a menudo es que las normas de Cal/OSHA sólo se aplican a ciertas industrias. Pero él aclara: “estas protecciones son para todos aquellos que trabajan al aire libre, no sólo los trabajadores del sector agrícola”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Se aplica a los trabajadores de la construcción, a los jardineros, a los paisajistas, al personal de mantenimiento y a cualquiera que conduzca camiones que no tengan aire acondicionado”, él agrega.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Otro error común, añade Hornung, es que estas normas sólo protegen a los ciudadanos o a las personas con estatus migratorio válido.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“La ley estatal para la seguridad en el trabajo es genial porque protege a todos los trabajadores sin importar su estatus migratorio”, dijo. “Así que si cuenta con documentos o no, sigue protegido por nuestras normas”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pero si usted trabaja de manera informal, las cosas son un poco más complicadas y a menudo dependen de la situación.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"David Hornung, Cal/OSHA\"]‘La ley estatal para la seguridad en el trabajo es genial porque protege a todos los trabajadores sin importar su estatus migratorio … así que si cuenta con documentos o no, sigue protegido por nuestras normas’.[/pullquote]Hornung explica que Cal/OSHA necesita verificar primero que existe una “relación empleado-empleador”, es decir, que el trabajador ha dado su mano de obra a cambio de un pago. Esto puede incluir a los trabajadores que no tienen un contrato formal de empleo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Si un trabajador recibe un pago de un empleador, entonces eso establece una relación empleado-empleador”, dijo Hornung.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pero las protecciones contra el calor no se aplican a quienes trabajan por su propia cuenta, o sea, quienes son sus propios jefes, como es el caso de los dueños de carritos de fruta que venden sus propios productos.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"hablar\">\u003c/a>Si mi jefe no cumple con las reglas de Cal/OSHA, ¿cómo debo de hablar de esto con él?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Aunque puede ser difícil para algunos trabajadores acercarse a sus supervisores, las leyes laborales de California prohíben a los empleadores tomar represalias contra los trabajadores que alcen la voz sobre las condiciones de trabajo inseguras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Es ilegal que un empleador tome represalias contra esto, hablar de un derecho laboral al que tienen derecho”, dijo Breining, la abogada de derechos de los trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ella recomienda a los trabajadores que documenten por escrito todo lo que ocurre, incluyendo las fechas y lugares en los que sus jefes no han respetado las normas. Y sugiere que los trabajadores también se dirijan a sus empleadores por escrito, en forma de mensaje de texto, un correo electrónico o una carta tradicional.[aside label='Más en español' tag='kqed-en-espanol']“Diga específicamente qué es lo que pide”, dice Breining. “¿Está pidiendo que el empleador ofrezca un entrenamiento, que vea cuál es el plan para prevenir las enfermedades causadas por el calor, o que reciba más descansos en la sombra?”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Documente cada vez que su empleador no siga las normas sobre el calor, ya que eso puede ser útil más adelante si usted decide presentar una queja ante Cal/OSHA, dice Breining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mientras tanto, Hornung sugiere que los trabajadores que temen represalias inmediatas discutan primero el asunto con sus compañeros para conseguir apoyo adicional. “Así que, en lugar de que usted como individuo se lo pida a su jefe, intente que sus compañeros de trabajo lo hagan en grupo”, dice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sin embargo, el hecho de que las represalias sean ilegales no impide que un empleador tome represalias contra los trabajadores que denuncian una injusticia laboral, dice Cynthia Rice, abogada de derechos laborales.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nunca decimos que el empleador no puede tomar represalias contra usted, porque por supuesto que el empleador puede tomarlas”, ella dijo a KQED. Si cree que su empleador le ha despedido o le ha recortado las horas porque alzó la voz sobre lo que pasa en su lugar de trabajo, \u003ca href=\"#represalias\">\u003cstrong>puede presentar una denuncia con las oficinas del estado, quienes pueden iniciar una investigación.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11955910\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11955910\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"El carrito de un vendedor ambulante, el cual lleva varios contenedores de plástico que guardan fruta fresca y cortada. El carrito está protegido de los rayos del sol por un parasol.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Un comerciante vende fruta cortada bajo una sombrilla en el distrito de la Misión de San Francisco el 6 de agosto de 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"niega\">\u003c/a>Mi empleador no me ha escuchado. ¿Qué hago ahora?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Si un empleador se rehusa a proporcionar las protecciones requeridas contra el calor, el siguiente paso puede ser presentar una queja ante Cal/OSHA, \u003cstrong>lo cual puede hacer de manera anónima\u003c/strong>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La agencia tiene varias sucursales en el Área de la Bahía con las que un trabajador puede ponerse en contacto directamente para presentar una denuncia según donde se ubique su lugar de trabajo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Los trabajadores de San Francisco pueden llamar al (415) 557-0100.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Los trabajadores del condado de San Mateo pueden llamar a la oficina de Foster City al (650) 573-3812. Esta oficina también atiende a los trabajadores de algunas localidades de Santa Clara, como Palo Alto, Mountain View y Sunnyvale.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>La mayoría de los trabajadores del condado de Santa Clara pueden llamar a la oficina de Fremont al (510) 794-2521.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Los trabajadores del condado de Alameda pueden llamar a la oficina de Oakland al (510) 622-2916.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Los trabajadores del norte de la Bahía, lo que incluye a los condados de Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Marín y Contra Costa, pueden llamar a la oficina de American Canyon al (707) 649-3700.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>También hay una línea de ayuda estatal para el calor que ofrece asistencia tanto en español, inglés y muchos idiomas más: (833) 579-0927.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Al presentar una denuncia, le harán preguntas sobre su empleador o empresa, como el nombre, la ubicación y el número de trabajadores en el lugar, cuántas horas trabaja al día, y cuál es el problema de seguridad. Aquí es cuando resulta especialmente útil tener un registro escrito de los incidentes o conversaciones anteriores que tuvo con su jefe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Es opcional dar su nombre, pero Hornung, de Cal/OSHA dice que si usted da su información de contacto, puede ser notificado cuándo Cal/OSHA reciba su informe y si la dependencia decide investigar la situación.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Si Cal/OSHA se hace cargo de su caso, la agencia asignará un inspector a su lugar de trabajo que hablará con los empleadores y los empleados.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Si confirmamos que hubo alguna infracción del código de California”, dice Hornung, “el empresario será multado por esas infracciones”. El empleador también tendrá que resolver cualquier situación que esté poniendo en riesgo a los trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11955909\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11955909\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Un obrero está sentado en la parte trasera de una camioneta, tapado del sol por una carpa. Sus manos cuidadosamente pelan frijoles.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Un vendedor se protege del sol mientras pela frijoles en San Francisco el 6 de agosto de 2021. David Hornung, de Cal/OSHA, dice que las protecciones estatales contra el calor se aplican a todas las personas que trabajan al aire libre, no sólo a los trabajadores agrícolas. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"represalias\">\u003c/a>Si su empleador decide tomar represalias contra usted durante este tiempo y le amenaza, le recorta las horas o le despide, eso es motivo para presentar una queja por represalias ante la Oficina del Comisionado Laboral del estado. Puede \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/rci_osha_complaint.htm\">reportar una represalia por internet\u003c/a> (en la página web de esta agencia, aparece un botón en la parte superior de la pantalla que dice ‘Translate,’ donde puede escoger la opción de ‘Spanish’.) También puede llamar al (714) 558-4913 o escribir un correo electrónico a la dirección: \u003ca href=\"mailto:oshaRetaliation@dir.ca.gov\">oshaRetaliation@dir.ca.gov\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Si (su empleador) toma represalias contra usted, usted tiene un recurso”, dijo Breining. “Pueden ofrecerle de nuevo su empleo, el empleador sería sancionado y si perdió sus ingresos por la represalia, puede recibir este salario”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Si usted es un trabajador agrícola, otra opción es presentar una queja contra su empleador ante el Consejo de Relaciones del Trabajo Agrícola de California (ALRB, por sus siglas en inglés). El ALRB investiga posibles prácticas laborales injustas, incluyendo las represalias de un empleador contra un trabajador que denuncia condiciones de trabajo inseguras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>El ALRB requiere que al menos dos empleados presenten la denuncia. Usted puede presentar una denuncia \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/196/2018/05/alrb_form38_en.pdf\">utilizando este formulario (sólo disponible en inglés)\u003c/a> y luego enviarla, ya sea por correo o por fax, a la oficina del ALRB más cercana. En el Área de la Bahía, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">la oficina regional del ALRB está en Santa Rosa y lo pueden atender en español\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>606 Healdsburg Avenue\u003cbr>\nSanta Rosa, CA 95401\u003cbr>\nTeléfono: (707) 527-3256\u003cbr>\nFax: (707) 576-2360\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"opciones\">\u003c/a>¿Cuáles son mis otras opciones?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>En el 2021, los trabajadores de un restaurante de comida rápida de Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11875988/minimal-to-non-existent-safety-inspector-shortage-worsened-in-pandemic-leaving-california-workers-vulnerable\">presentaron una queja de seguridad por COVID-19 en su lugar de trabajo ante Cal/OSHA contra su empleador\u003c/a>, alegando condiciones de trabajo inseguras. Los funcionarios de la agencia respondieron nueve meses después diciendo que no se había encontrado ninguna violación, incluso cuando los empleados que presentaron el informe original afirman que los inspectores nunca se pusieron en contacto con ellos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La falta de personal \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/calmatters-en-espanol/2020/10/la-respuesta-de-la-agencia-de-seguridad-laboral-de-california-a-las-quejas-de-covid-cartas-no-inspecciones/\">ha dificultado el trabajo de Cal/OSHA durante años\u003c/a>, y estos problemas han aumentado durante la pandemia, limitando la capacidad de la agencia para investigar las denuncias de trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sin embargo, la agencia sí ha logrado \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/COVID19citations.html\">multar este año a cientos de empleadores que no han cumplido con las normas del estado\u003c/a>. Tomará tiempo, pero presentar una denuncia puede producir un resultado.[aside postID=\"news_11941448\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/FARMWORKETS-SHOVELING-DIRT-YELLOW-RAINGEAR.jpg\"]Pero hay otras medidas que se pueden tomar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breining, la abogada de los derechos de los trabajadores, señala que hay múltiples oficinas de ayuda legal en el Área de la Bahía que pueden apoyar a los empleados a lo largo del proceso legal, la mayoría de las veces sin costo alguno, incluyendo el Centro Legal de la Raza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Estamos más que contentos de ayudarles (a los trabajadores) a presentar la queja o ayudarles a hacer una carta de demanda si realmente no quieren pasar por el proceso más formal”, dijo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breining añade que, en muchos casos, los trabajadores acuden a su oficina cuando sus empleadores ya han tomado represalias contra ellos o ya han sufrido enfermedades relacionadas con el calor. Aunque el Centro Legal puede proporcionar asistencia, anima a los trabajadores a buscar ayuda antes de que las cosas vayan mal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Preferimos ayudar cuando esta situación esté sucediendo para que no tengamos que utilizar los procesos legales más difíciles después de los hechos”, dijo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Estas son algunas organizaciones que ofrecen ayuda legal gratuita a los trabajadores del Área de la Bahía:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.centrolegal.org/?lang=es\">Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland)\u003c/a>: (510) 437-1554\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lrcl.org/es\">La Raza Centro Legal (San Francisco)\u003c/a>: (415) 575-3500\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tuwu.org/\">Trabajadores Unidos Workers United\u003c/a>: (415) 621-4155\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/es/\">Legal Aid at Work\u003c/a>: (415) 864-8208\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://crla.org/es\">California Rural Legal Assistance:\u003c/a> (800) 337-0690\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://streetlevelhealthproject.org/\">Street Level Health Project (Oakland)\u003c/a>: (510) 533-9906\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.advancingjustice-alc.org/\">Asian Americans Advancing Justice/Asian Law Caucus\u003c/a>: (415) 896-1701\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Una versión de esta historia fue publicada originalmente en inglés el 8 de septiembre de 2021. Este artículo incluye información de Farida Jhabvala Romero de KQED.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Este artículo fue traducido por la periodista \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/mpena/\">María Peña\u003c/a> y editado por el periodista \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Durante una ola de calor en California, cada persona que trabaja al aire libre tiene derecho a cuatro cosas: agua fresca, sombra, descansos y un plan de emergencia, sin importar su estatus migratorio.",
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"title": "¿Trabaja al aire libre? Estas son las protecciones que su jefe debe de ofrecer | KQED",
"description": "Durante una ola de calor en California, cada persona que trabaja al aire libre tiene derecho a cuatro cosas: agua fresca, sombra, descansos y un plan de emergencia, sin importar su estatus migratorio.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">Read in English\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>¿No tiene tiempo para leer toda la guía? Haga clic en los enlaces para visitar esa sección en particular:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#protecciones\">\u003cstrong>Si trabajo al aire libre en California, ¿cuáles son mis protecciones cuando hace mucho calor?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#hablar\">\u003cstrong>¿Cómo debo hablar con mi empleador sobre estas protecciones?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#niega\">\u003cstrong>¿Qué puedo hacer si mi empleador se niega a ofrecer estas protecciones?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#represalias\">\u003cstrong>¿Qué puedo hacer si mi empleador toma represalias contra mí por hablar sobre mis derechos?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#opciones\">\u003cstrong>¿Cuáles son mis otras opciones en este caso?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Cada año, el Área de la Bahía está experimentando olas de calor cada vez más intensas, como lo que ocurrió en septiembre de 2022, cuando varias ciudades registraron temperaturas récord. San José, Santa Rosa y otros lugares superaron los 100 grados Fahrenheit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aunque algunas personas pueden trabajar en hogares u oficinas que cuentan con aire acondicionado, muchos trabajadores esenciales, como los de la construcción, los trabajadores agrícolas y los repartidores, tienen que permanecer al aire libre, expuestos a las altas temperaturas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cuando hay una ola de calor en California, todas las compañías y patrones están obligados por ley a proporcionar cuatro cosas a sus empleados que trabajan al aire libre: agua fresca, sombra, descansos y un plan de emergencia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Estas son \u003ca href=\"https://www.99calor.org/espanol/\">las normas establecidas por la Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional de California\u003c/a> (Cal/OSHA, por sus siglas en inglés), las cuales protegen a todos aquellos que trabajan al aire libre, sin importar su situación migratoria o tipo de empleo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sin embargo, varias personas que trabajan al aire libre han compartido con KQED que no es fácil abordar este tema con su empleador. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">Algunos temen perder su trabajo si alzan la voz\u003c/a>, mientras que otros no están seguros si pueden recibir estas protecciones debido a su estatus migratorio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Es una verdadera preocupación”, dijo David Hornung, coordinador del programa de calor y agricultura de Cal/OSHA, “los trabajadores no quieren pedir sus protecciones laborales debido a su preocupación de sufrir represalias”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Si usted está trabajando al aire libre durante una ola de calor y su empleador no le otorga las protecciones necesarias, hay varias cosas que puede hacer, incluso si no se siente cómodo planteando las cosas directamente a su supervisor.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"protecciones\">\u003c/a>¿Cuáles son las protecciones de Cal/OSHA?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>En julio de 2006, \u003ca href=\"https://oehha.ca.gov/epic/impacts-biological-systems/heat-related-mortality-and-morbidity\">una gran ola de calor en California provocó la muerte de al menos 140 personas en dos semanas\u003c/a>, la mayor tasa de mortalidad registrada en un solo evento de calor. Debido a esta situación, los reguladores estatales decidieron aumentar las protecciones para quienes trabajan al aire libre.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“El empleador debe proveer agua potable que sea fresca y gratuita para que cada trabajador tenga lo suficiente para beber”, dijo Angela Yahaira Breining, abogada del programa de derechos laborales en el Centro Legal de la Raza en Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Según las normas de California, cada trabajador debe recibir un cuarto de galón de agua por hora (eso equivale a un poco menos de un litro de agua). E incluso si los trabajadores traen sus propias botellas de agua, los empleadores deben tener suficiente agua disponible en el lugar de trabajo.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "Cuando hay una ola de calor en California, todas las compañías y patrones están obligados por ley a proporcionar cuatro cosas a sus empleados que trabajan al aire libre: agua fresca, sombra, descansos y un plan de emergencia.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Cuando las temperaturas superan los 80 grados Farenheit (o 26 centigrados), los empleadores también deben proveer un área con suficiente sombra para acomodar a todos los trabajadores en el lugar, como una carpa. Pero Breining agrega que los trabajadores también tienen derecho a pedir un descanso bajo la sombra, sin importar la temperatura, siempre que estos lo consideren necesario.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Y cuando las temperaturas superan los 95 grados Farenheit (o 35 centigrados), “los supervisores deben observar a los empleados con regularidad”, dice Breining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tener un supervisor en el lugar de trabajo, explica Breining, es necesario para establecer un sistema de comunicación que pueda entrar en acción si un trabajador empieza a sentirse mal. “Si a alguien le duele la cabeza, hay que hacer que esta persona se siente, asegurarse de que haya una forma de comunicarse con los superiores y tener un plan de emergencia”, explica ella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tener un plan de emergencia es el siguiente requisito para los empleadores, dice Hornung, de Cal/OSHA. Eso incluye “entrenar a todos los empleados para que reconozcan los signos y síntomas de las enfermedades causadas por el calor en ellos mismos o en sus compañeros de trabajo”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11955911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11955911\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Un obrero está sentado en la parte trasera de una camioneta, pelando frijoles. Hay una carpa encima de la camioneta y su rostro está detrás de la carpa.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50584_007_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Un vendedor sentado en la parte trasera de una camioneta cubierta de lona en el distrito de la Misión de San Francisco pela frijoles el 6 de agosto de 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>¿Quién tiene derecho a estas protecciones?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Algo que Hornung escucha a menudo es que las normas de Cal/OSHA sólo se aplican a ciertas industrias. Pero él aclara: “estas protecciones son para todos aquellos que trabajan al aire libre, no sólo los trabajadores del sector agrícola”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Se aplica a los trabajadores de la construcción, a los jardineros, a los paisajistas, al personal de mantenimiento y a cualquiera que conduzca camiones que no tengan aire acondicionado”, él agrega.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Otro error común, añade Hornung, es que estas normas sólo protegen a los ciudadanos o a las personas con estatus migratorio válido.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“La ley estatal para la seguridad en el trabajo es genial porque protege a todos los trabajadores sin importar su estatus migratorio”, dijo. “Así que si cuenta con documentos o no, sigue protegido por nuestras normas”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pero si usted trabaja de manera informal, las cosas son un poco más complicadas y a menudo dependen de la situación.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘La ley estatal para la seguridad en el trabajo es genial porque protege a todos los trabajadores sin importar su estatus migratorio … así que si cuenta con documentos o no, sigue protegido por nuestras normas’.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Hornung explica que Cal/OSHA necesita verificar primero que existe una “relación empleado-empleador”, es decir, que el trabajador ha dado su mano de obra a cambio de un pago. Esto puede incluir a los trabajadores que no tienen un contrato formal de empleo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Si un trabajador recibe un pago de un empleador, entonces eso establece una relación empleado-empleador”, dijo Hornung.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pero las protecciones contra el calor no se aplican a quienes trabajan por su propia cuenta, o sea, quienes son sus propios jefes, como es el caso de los dueños de carritos de fruta que venden sus propios productos.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"hablar\">\u003c/a>Si mi jefe no cumple con las reglas de Cal/OSHA, ¿cómo debo de hablar de esto con él?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Aunque puede ser difícil para algunos trabajadores acercarse a sus supervisores, las leyes laborales de California prohíben a los empleadores tomar represalias contra los trabajadores que alcen la voz sobre las condiciones de trabajo inseguras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Es ilegal que un empleador tome represalias contra esto, hablar de un derecho laboral al que tienen derecho”, dijo Breining, la abogada de derechos de los trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ella recomienda a los trabajadores que documenten por escrito todo lo que ocurre, incluyendo las fechas y lugares en los que sus jefes no han respetado las normas. Y sugiere que los trabajadores también se dirijan a sus empleadores por escrito, en forma de mensaje de texto, un correo electrónico o una carta tradicional.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Diga específicamente qué es lo que pide”, dice Breining. “¿Está pidiendo que el empleador ofrezca un entrenamiento, que vea cuál es el plan para prevenir las enfermedades causadas por el calor, o que reciba más descansos en la sombra?”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Documente cada vez que su empleador no siga las normas sobre el calor, ya que eso puede ser útil más adelante si usted decide presentar una queja ante Cal/OSHA, dice Breining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mientras tanto, Hornung sugiere que los trabajadores que temen represalias inmediatas discutan primero el asunto con sus compañeros para conseguir apoyo adicional. “Así que, en lugar de que usted como individuo se lo pida a su jefe, intente que sus compañeros de trabajo lo hagan en grupo”, dice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sin embargo, el hecho de que las represalias sean ilegales no impide que un empleador tome represalias contra los trabajadores que denuncian una injusticia laboral, dice Cynthia Rice, abogada de derechos laborales.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nunca decimos que el empleador no puede tomar represalias contra usted, porque por supuesto que el empleador puede tomarlas”, ella dijo a KQED. Si cree que su empleador le ha despedido o le ha recortado las horas porque alzó la voz sobre lo que pasa en su lugar de trabajo, \u003ca href=\"#represalias\">\u003cstrong>puede presentar una denuncia con las oficinas del estado, quienes pueden iniciar una investigación.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11955910\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11955910\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"El carrito de un vendedor ambulante, el cual lleva varios contenedores de plástico que guardan fruta fresca y cortada. El carrito está protegido de los rayos del sol por un parasol.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50606_031_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Un comerciante vende fruta cortada bajo una sombrilla en el distrito de la Misión de San Francisco el 6 de agosto de 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"niega\">\u003c/a>Mi empleador no me ha escuchado. ¿Qué hago ahora?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Si un empleador se rehusa a proporcionar las protecciones requeridas contra el calor, el siguiente paso puede ser presentar una queja ante Cal/OSHA, \u003cstrong>lo cual puede hacer de manera anónima\u003c/strong>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La agencia tiene varias sucursales en el Área de la Bahía con las que un trabajador puede ponerse en contacto directamente para presentar una denuncia según donde se ubique su lugar de trabajo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Los trabajadores de San Francisco pueden llamar al (415) 557-0100.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Los trabajadores del condado de San Mateo pueden llamar a la oficina de Foster City al (650) 573-3812. Esta oficina también atiende a los trabajadores de algunas localidades de Santa Clara, como Palo Alto, Mountain View y Sunnyvale.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>La mayoría de los trabajadores del condado de Santa Clara pueden llamar a la oficina de Fremont al (510) 794-2521.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Los trabajadores del condado de Alameda pueden llamar a la oficina de Oakland al (510) 622-2916.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Los trabajadores del norte de la Bahía, lo que incluye a los condados de Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Marín y Contra Costa, pueden llamar a la oficina de American Canyon al (707) 649-3700.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>También hay una línea de ayuda estatal para el calor que ofrece asistencia tanto en español, inglés y muchos idiomas más: (833) 579-0927.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Al presentar una denuncia, le harán preguntas sobre su empleador o empresa, como el nombre, la ubicación y el número de trabajadores en el lugar, cuántas horas trabaja al día, y cuál es el problema de seguridad. Aquí es cuando resulta especialmente útil tener un registro escrito de los incidentes o conversaciones anteriores que tuvo con su jefe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Es opcional dar su nombre, pero Hornung, de Cal/OSHA dice que si usted da su información de contacto, puede ser notificado cuándo Cal/OSHA reciba su informe y si la dependencia decide investigar la situación.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Si Cal/OSHA se hace cargo de su caso, la agencia asignará un inspector a su lugar de trabajo que hablará con los empleadores y los empleados.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Si confirmamos que hubo alguna infracción del código de California”, dice Hornung, “el empresario será multado por esas infracciones”. El empleador también tendrá que resolver cualquier situación que esté poniendo en riesgo a los trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11955909\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11955909\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Un obrero está sentado en la parte trasera de una camioneta, tapado del sol por una carpa. Sus manos cuidadosamente pelan frijoles.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS50579_002_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Un vendedor se protege del sol mientras pela frijoles en San Francisco el 6 de agosto de 2021. David Hornung, de Cal/OSHA, dice que las protecciones estatales contra el calor se aplican a todas las personas que trabajan al aire libre, no sólo a los trabajadores agrícolas. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"represalias\">\u003c/a>Si su empleador decide tomar represalias contra usted durante este tiempo y le amenaza, le recorta las horas o le despide, eso es motivo para presentar una queja por represalias ante la Oficina del Comisionado Laboral del estado. Puede \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/rci_osha_complaint.htm\">reportar una represalia por internet\u003c/a> (en la página web de esta agencia, aparece un botón en la parte superior de la pantalla que dice ‘Translate,’ donde puede escoger la opción de ‘Spanish’.) También puede llamar al (714) 558-4913 o escribir un correo electrónico a la dirección: \u003ca href=\"mailto:oshaRetaliation@dir.ca.gov\">oshaRetaliation@dir.ca.gov\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Si (su empleador) toma represalias contra usted, usted tiene un recurso”, dijo Breining. “Pueden ofrecerle de nuevo su empleo, el empleador sería sancionado y si perdió sus ingresos por la represalia, puede recibir este salario”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Si usted es un trabajador agrícola, otra opción es presentar una queja contra su empleador ante el Consejo de Relaciones del Trabajo Agrícola de California (ALRB, por sus siglas en inglés). El ALRB investiga posibles prácticas laborales injustas, incluyendo las represalias de un empleador contra un trabajador que denuncia condiciones de trabajo inseguras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>El ALRB requiere que al menos dos empleados presenten la denuncia. Usted puede presentar una denuncia \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/196/2018/05/alrb_form38_en.pdf\">utilizando este formulario (sólo disponible en inglés)\u003c/a> y luego enviarla, ya sea por correo o por fax, a la oficina del ALRB más cercana. En el Área de la Bahía, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">la oficina regional del ALRB está en Santa Rosa y lo pueden atender en español\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>606 Healdsburg Avenue\u003cbr>\nSanta Rosa, CA 95401\u003cbr>\nTeléfono: (707) 527-3256\u003cbr>\nFax: (707) 576-2360\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"opciones\">\u003c/a>¿Cuáles son mis otras opciones?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>En el 2021, los trabajadores de un restaurante de comida rápida de Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11875988/minimal-to-non-existent-safety-inspector-shortage-worsened-in-pandemic-leaving-california-workers-vulnerable\">presentaron una queja de seguridad por COVID-19 en su lugar de trabajo ante Cal/OSHA contra su empleador\u003c/a>, alegando condiciones de trabajo inseguras. Los funcionarios de la agencia respondieron nueve meses después diciendo que no se había encontrado ninguna violación, incluso cuando los empleados que presentaron el informe original afirman que los inspectores nunca se pusieron en contacto con ellos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La falta de personal \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/calmatters-en-espanol/2020/10/la-respuesta-de-la-agencia-de-seguridad-laboral-de-california-a-las-quejas-de-covid-cartas-no-inspecciones/\">ha dificultado el trabajo de Cal/OSHA durante años\u003c/a>, y estos problemas han aumentado durante la pandemia, limitando la capacidad de la agencia para investigar las denuncias de trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sin embargo, la agencia sí ha logrado \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/COVID19citations.html\">multar este año a cientos de empleadores que no han cumplido con las normas del estado\u003c/a>. Tomará tiempo, pero presentar una denuncia puede producir un resultado.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Pero hay otras medidas que se pueden tomar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breining, la abogada de los derechos de los trabajadores, señala que hay múltiples oficinas de ayuda legal en el Área de la Bahía que pueden apoyar a los empleados a lo largo del proceso legal, la mayoría de las veces sin costo alguno, incluyendo el Centro Legal de la Raza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Estamos más que contentos de ayudarles (a los trabajadores) a presentar la queja o ayudarles a hacer una carta de demanda si realmente no quieren pasar por el proceso más formal”, dijo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Breining añade que, en muchos casos, los trabajadores acuden a su oficina cuando sus empleadores ya han tomado represalias contra ellos o ya han sufrido enfermedades relacionadas con el calor. Aunque el Centro Legal puede proporcionar asistencia, anima a los trabajadores a buscar ayuda antes de que las cosas vayan mal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Preferimos ayudar cuando esta situación esté sucediendo para que no tengamos que utilizar los procesos legales más difíciles después de los hechos”, dijo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Estas son algunas organizaciones que ofrecen ayuda legal gratuita a los trabajadores del Área de la Bahía:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.centrolegal.org/?lang=es\">Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland)\u003c/a>: (510) 437-1554\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lrcl.org/es\">La Raza Centro Legal (San Francisco)\u003c/a>: (415) 575-3500\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tuwu.org/\">Trabajadores Unidos Workers United\u003c/a>: (415) 621-4155\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/es/\">Legal Aid at Work\u003c/a>: (415) 864-8208\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://crla.org/es\">California Rural Legal Assistance:\u003c/a> (800) 337-0690\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://streetlevelhealthproject.org/\">Street Level Health Project (Oakland)\u003c/a>: (510) 533-9906\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.advancingjustice-alc.org/\">Asian Americans Advancing Justice/Asian Law Caucus\u003c/a>: (415) 896-1701\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Una versión de esta historia fue publicada originalmente en inglés el 8 de septiembre de 2021. Este artículo incluye información de Farida Jhabvala Romero de KQED.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Este artículo fue traducido por la periodista \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/mpena/\">María Peña\u003c/a> y editado por el periodista \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "San José City Workers One Step Closer to Walking Off Job",
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"content": "\u003cp>More than 4,000 San José city workers are one step closer to walking off the job after mediated contract negotiations with the city broke down last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are no other legal steps that need to be met. The next step is authorizing a strike vote,” said John Tucker, a union representative for the Municipal Employees’ Federation \u003ca href=\"https://www.mef101.org/\">(MEF-AFSCME) Local 101\u003c/a>, one of the two unions that has been negotiating with the city since mid-March. “We’re looking at taking that vote later on this month for a potential strike to occur in early August.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unions are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955267/san-jose-city-workers-threaten-strike-as-negotiations-head-to-mediation#correction\">demanding significant wage increases over the next three years\u003c/a>, including a 7% pay bump in the next fiscal year, as well as eight weeks of paid family leave and other benefits. Such increases, they argue, are necessary to address the city’s ongoing staffing and retention crisis. As of May, the city reported 860 job vacancies, a rate of more than 13%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s most recent offer falls far short of those demands, organizers said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 1,500 union members have so far signed a petition in support of a strike, and organizers have begun educating workers on their legal rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A strike could hamstring basic services in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether it’s our parks and recreation system, our libraries or day-to-day operations of the city … these are the workers that do all that,” said Jean Cohen, executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shelsy Bass, a development officer with the city’s housing department, and a member of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21 — the other union involved in negotiations with the city, which represents three individual union chapters — said San José is considered a “training ground” for other municipalities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"san-jose\"]“I’ve lost coworkers to [Santa Clara] County or other cities, and it always comes down to, ‘I can go there and I can make more money and I don’t do as much work,’” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bass said her team, which approves affordable housing projects in the city, is consistently understaffed, and turnover remains high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re [each] doing one-and-a-half if not two jobs” she said. “In the past six months, we closed four new construction deals, and it was extremely difficult. We had people who felt extremely burnt out afterwards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bass said such high rates of turnover leaves a dearth of historical knowledge on her team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like we’re reinventing the wheel every once in a while,” she said. “Not having someone who’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, you do it this way,’ because that person just doesn’t exist anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tucker, from \u003ca href=\"https://www.mef101.org/\">MEF-AFSCME\u003c/a>, is now calling on the City Council to return early from its July recess for an emergency closed session to get the city to adjust its latest offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His union, he said, offered a “significantly reduced package” to the city last week in an effort to avert a walkout, and says it’s now the city’s turn to respond to that, which the council has to authorize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do want to give them every possibility to come to an agreement. So, we are willing to wait until they’ve had at least their first session back, which is August 8,” Tucker said. “After [that], anything’s on the table.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But San José Mayor Matt Mahan said an emergency council meeting won’t change much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that we’re at an impasse is not something that the council is going to be able to resolve,” Mahan told KQED. “The City Council met a few weeks ago and gave unanimous or near unanimous direction to the city manager to continue with the process that we’re in, which included our last, best and final offer, and then, if necessary, the process of mediation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahan also said the city made additional concessions during the latest negotiations, including on some non-wage-related demands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the unions’ wage-increase demands, he argued, are simply untenable, particularly in light of recent widespread tech layoffs and declining commercial real estate investments, both of which are expected to lower the city’s tax revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I certainly wouldn’t support us moving closer to 7% wage increase in Year One of this contract because it’s not fair to residents and taxpayers who rely on city services,” Mahan said. “We never want to be in a situation of overpromising, giving larger raises than we can sustain and then being in the terrible position of needing to lay people off and reduce service levels for residents a few years later.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Bass, from the housing department, said that while she and her co-workers certainly do not want to go on strike, they’re prepared to do so if the city doesn’t come back with a better offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bass, who commutes to her job from Hayward — which often takes well over an hour in each direction, said she remains committed to working for the city, but is ready to fight for more sustainable conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love serving the residents of the city of San José, and I want to continue to do that, so I stay,” she said. “It’s a city that I feel that I can make a huge impact in with the work that we do, and I can’t necessarily do that in a different municipality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Correction (July 20): The original version of this story stated the city reported 860 municipal job vacancies as of July 2023. In fact, those figures, while announced by the city in a July press release, represent the number of vacancies as of May 2023.\u003c/i> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 4,000 San José city workers are one step closer to walking off the job after mediated contract negotiations with the city broke down last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are no other legal steps that need to be met. The next step is authorizing a strike vote,” said John Tucker, a union representative for the Municipal Employees’ Federation \u003ca href=\"https://www.mef101.org/\">(MEF-AFSCME) Local 101\u003c/a>, one of the two unions that has been negotiating with the city since mid-March. “We’re looking at taking that vote later on this month for a potential strike to occur in early August.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unions are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955267/san-jose-city-workers-threaten-strike-as-negotiations-head-to-mediation#correction\">demanding significant wage increases over the next three years\u003c/a>, including a 7% pay bump in the next fiscal year, as well as eight weeks of paid family leave and other benefits. Such increases, they argue, are necessary to address the city’s ongoing staffing and retention crisis. As of May, the city reported 860 job vacancies, a rate of more than 13%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s most recent offer falls far short of those demands, organizers said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 1,500 union members have so far signed a petition in support of a strike, and organizers have begun educating workers on their legal rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I’ve lost coworkers to [Santa Clara] County or other cities, and it always comes down to, ‘I can go there and I can make more money and I don’t do as much work,’” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bass said her team, which approves affordable housing projects in the city, is consistently understaffed, and turnover remains high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re [each] doing one-and-a-half if not two jobs” she said. “In the past six months, we closed four new construction deals, and it was extremely difficult. We had people who felt extremely burnt out afterwards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bass said such high rates of turnover leaves a dearth of historical knowledge on her team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like we’re reinventing the wheel every once in a while,” she said. “Not having someone who’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, you do it this way,’ because that person just doesn’t exist anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tucker, from \u003ca href=\"https://www.mef101.org/\">MEF-AFSCME\u003c/a>, is now calling on the City Council to return early from its July recess for an emergency closed session to get the city to adjust its latest offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His union, he said, offered a “significantly reduced package” to the city last week in an effort to avert a walkout, and says it’s now the city’s turn to respond to that, which the council has to authorize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do want to give them every possibility to come to an agreement. So, we are willing to wait until they’ve had at least their first session back, which is August 8,” Tucker said. “After [that], anything’s on the table.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But San José Mayor Matt Mahan said an emergency council meeting won’t change much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that we’re at an impasse is not something that the council is going to be able to resolve,” Mahan told KQED. “The City Council met a few weeks ago and gave unanimous or near unanimous direction to the city manager to continue with the process that we’re in, which included our last, best and final offer, and then, if necessary, the process of mediation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahan also said the city made additional concessions during the latest negotiations, including on some non-wage-related demands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the unions’ wage-increase demands, he argued, are simply untenable, particularly in light of recent widespread tech layoffs and declining commercial real estate investments, both of which are expected to lower the city’s tax revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I certainly wouldn’t support us moving closer to 7% wage increase in Year One of this contract because it’s not fair to residents and taxpayers who rely on city services,” Mahan said. “We never want to be in a situation of overpromising, giving larger raises than we can sustain and then being in the terrible position of needing to lay people off and reduce service levels for residents a few years later.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Bass, from the housing department, said that while she and her co-workers certainly do not want to go on strike, they’re prepared to do so if the city doesn’t come back with a better offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bass, who commutes to her job from Hayward — which often takes well over an hour in each direction, said she remains committed to working for the city, but is ready to fight for more sustainable conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love serving the residents of the city of San José, and I want to continue to do that, so I stay,” she said. “It’s a city that I feel that I can make a huge impact in with the work that we do, and I can’t necessarily do that in a different municipality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Correction (July 20): The original version of this story stated the city reported 860 municipal job vacancies as of July 2023. In fact, those figures, while announced by the city in a July press release, represent the number of vacancies as of May 2023.\u003c/i> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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