Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Workers' Rights Board Hearing Sept.1, 2012


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.

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.

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