On September 1, 2012, the North Texas Jobs with Justice’s
Workers’ Rights Board (WRB) convened a hearing entitled, “Wage Theft and Wage
Depression: The Jobs Crisis Continues.” The hearing began with an introduction
by Dr. Joerg Rieger who talked about the basic values and aims of this group.
He reminded the group that these issues are rampant in Dallas, and that as one
member of our community suffers, everyone suffers. While Wage Theft is morally
wrong and has no official support, Wage Depression is often defended by
employers and workers alike as a necessary evil. Yet both
Wage Theft and Wage Depression are connected because they show that we fail to
appreciate the value of work and the accomplishments of workers, while
employers take credit and gain. As the following testimonies show, both
problems are rampant.
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| photo by Helen Rieger |
Rosemarie Rieger then offered a “state of the community”
report. Since last year unemployment has declined minimally, though other
factors indicate substantial problems remain. The panel consisted of Allison Prochnow,
who works for the Workers’ Defense Project, Scott Gleeson with the Los Manos
Negras project, Roberto Corona from Pueblo Sin Fronteras program, Stacy
Cottongane and John Burnane from OURWalmart (Organization United for Respect
for Respect at Walmart), and Ryan Haney with the Iron Workers Union. Gene
Lantz, who is President of the Alliance of Retired Americans and a long-time
organizer of Jobs with Justice, and Isabel Docampo, Workers’ Rights Board
member also spoke to the group.
Prochnow initiated the Wage Theft portion of the hearing,
discussing the launch of the new Workers’ Defense Project (WDP) in Dallas. WDP
has fought wage theft in Austin for 10 years with great success, enabling some
1100 workers to recover over $900,000 in wages. WDP’s primary goals, however, involve
training workers about their rights and advocating for legal change. They have
effectively promoted policies at local and state levels using direct action of
visits and protests as well as looking to developers for accountability and
responsibility. Prochnow noted that in Dallas, ¼ of all workers have
experienced wage theft. They anticipate more resistance in Dallas, with the
city council not as willing to work with WDP and workers, but they will work
tirelessly to educate workers and live the reality that “in unity there is
strength.”
Gleeson followed with a description of his project, which
received funding from the prestigious 2012 Idea Fund Andy Warhol Foundation Grant.
As a visual artist and art historian specializing in public art projects
directed toward marginalized constituencies, Gleeson developed Los Manos
Negras, “the black or dirty hands,” to highlight workplace injustice among
migrant day laborers in East Dallas. Gleeson’s project advocates for and
communicates with migrant workers, trying to be a vehicle for worker expression
as opposed to representation of them. In addition to harnessing the long
history of revolutionary iconography and the tradition of Chicano art, he also
distributes information about how to get in contact with groups that can help
with recovery of wages and offers training in remittance letter writing. He
offered one story of an undocumented worker who runs a successful lawncare
business. The worker was stabbed while he was working, but was afraid to go to
authorities. He discovered he might be eligible for a visa as the victim of
violent crime, and Gleesons’s group connected him with Catholic Charities, who successfully
followed up. Don’t miss the full-scale exhibition of his work at Eastfield College,
running Oct 8-Nov 2!
Next, Corona spoke about the work of Pueblo Sin Fronteras.
PSF, an entirely volunteer organization with many student workers, also helps
workers learn rights, educates the community about their rights, and helps workers
stand up for themselves individually and communally. The also educate the
broader public about migration and the reasons persons leave their countries of
origin. The group meets every Thursday morning at 9am and the 1st
Sunday of every month.
Cottongane and Burnane shifted the hearing’s attention to
the issue of Wage Depression. Cottongane, who has worked at the Ennis Walmart
for 12 years, testified to the store cutting hours or asking workers to work
extra hours while being cut hours at the end of the week in order to pad
profits. Walmart also requires employees to cut an hour out of every shift on
days during a holiday week to make up for holiday pay on Labor Day. She also
pointed out that Walmart will lower wages when accidents are reported—even ones
not requiring medical attention—creating an incentive for employees to withhold
accident reports. Cottongane reported that $30,000 gets knocked off bonuses immediately.
She asked supporters to come to the Rally on Sept. 22 in Dallas. Burnane spoke
more broadly about the OUR Walmart mission, which is about education, laws and
rights, as well as policies of the company (which are often shrouded and
inaccessible). For instance, in January Walmart changed its policy so that new
hires do not receive bonus pay for work on Sundays. Managers began immediately
primarily scheduling new hires to work on Sundays. Corporate executives for
Walmart also changed its policy so that full-time employees have to work a full
year before becoming eligible for benefits. Managers, consequently, have been
waiting until just before that year arrives and then cutting hours, rendering
employees ineligible for benefits. This group in Dallas has support from many
organizations and will be ramping up efforts to make these injustices visible
to the broader community so that Walmart will be pressured into creating more
humane policies and practices.
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| photo by Helen Rieger |
Finally, Haney reported on his research with the Iron
Workers Union. These workers reinforce concrete shells of buildings, bridges,
and facilities. Reinforcing iron is skilled work, requiring years of training.
It is also dangerous, hard work, creating back issues, fall dangers, and heat
exhaustion. In Dallas, water is not regularly supplied by employers like Great
Western Erectors, who are also not required to provide rest breaks and who
often deny legally-mandated safety training and equipment. The Iron Workers
Union is working hard to organize in Dallas where there are currently no
unionized reinforcing iron contractors.
Gene Lantz followed Haney with a call to celebrate the
recent decision by the federal government to turn back Texas’ re-districting of
voters as well as the proposed voter id law. He also expressed hope in the
presence and active involvement of so many young people in the various efforts
represented at the hearing.
Docampo closed the hearing by opening up the floor for
audience feedback and by reminding attendees of the role of WRB in uniting
groups with overlapping interests and commitments. We hope to consolidate our
efforts to strategically work for change, advocacy, and solidarity. We would
love to see even greater cooperation and alliances.
The hearing hosted a number of groups and community members,
including WRB, WDP, Occupy Dallas, Environmental Groups, Jobs with Justice,
Alliance for Retired Americans, SMU faculty and students, Iron Workers Union,
OUR Walmart, Pueblo Sin Fronteras, Los Manos Negras, various clergy, and
workers.
It was a day to expose problems, share resistance struggles,
support one another, and celebrate these many efforts demanding justice living
in oppressive systems that negatively impact each and every one of us in different
ways. The Worker’s Rights Board and North Texas Jobs with Justice are dedicated
to supporting workers and their struggles and to connect them with the
community.
Report by Julie Mavity Maddalena
