April 2013
2 posts
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Modern Slavery Emerges from the Shadows →
Break the Chain’s own Tiffany Williams is featured in this article which addresses the culture of fear that comes from increased immigration enforcement and keeps trafficking victims for coming forward for fear of deportation.
“What we’ve seen on the ground is that the more aggressive they are with these [enforcement] programs, where they’re allowing local police to...
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WatchJunot Diaz on the Colbert Report, tackling immigration issues
January 2013
1 post
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Now We're Talking--NYT Editorial →
Great New York Times editorial addressing the importance of keeping issues of border enforcement and paths to citizenship separate in any legislation focused on comprehensive immigration reform.
“President Obama plans to speak on immigration on Tuesday. We hope he stands firm on a realistic hope for citizenship, and acknowledges the unnecessary toll that overbroad enforcement — including...
December 2012
3 posts
VOLUNTEER: Graphic Designer/Factsheet Designer...
We are looking for one person to take several existing factsheets- all currently in Word form - and turn them into a unified series of factsheets with a similar aesthetic. Most of them are 2 pages (front and back). We are looking for something very modern, clean, and bright and include graphics to make them more interesting (e.g., charts, images).
This is a volunteer (unpaid) project, but you...
INTERNSHIP: Worker/Immigrant Rights Position!
Break the Chain Campaign is a project of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC. For 13 years, we have provided direct social services for domestic workers (nannies, housekeepers, and caregivers) who have survived human trafficking and worker exploitation. Currently, we focus on research, writing, policy advocacy, and training, all based on our direct service experience and our...
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VOLUNTEER: French Interpreter Needed!
We are seeking an intepreter fluent in French (for a client from Africa) who is available for a full day of legal interpreting at the end of December (we are considering December 21st). Someone located in the District of Columbia or in Maryland would be ideal.
We are a small organization with limited funds for direct services, so we are seeking someone who is available on a pro-bono/volunteer...
November 2012
3 posts
What Does Obama’s Re-election Mean For... →
Berkeley Denies ICE Request to Detain Undocumented... →
Obama vs. Romney on Immigration Policy →
October 2012
2 posts
Abuse of Migrant Workers Continues in Bahrain →
October 25: Briefing on the impact of deportation...
The We Belong Together campaign invites you to join us for a multimedia briefing on women, migration and the impacts of U.S. immigration policies at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Thursday, October 25th 9:00-10:30am PST / 12:00-1:30pm EST ** Note that the briefing will be presented as a webinar, so you will need both internet and phone access in order to participate. Please RSVP to Wida...
September 2012
2 posts
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Landmark treaty for domestic workers to come into... →
This Labor Day, Let's Celebrate Domestic Workers
Last Wednesday, just in time for Labor Day, the California state legislature passed the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. This legislation, inspired by a similar measure passed in New York State in 2010, provides basic workplace protections such as overtime pay, meal and rest breaks, and uninterrupted sleep time for the state’s growing domestic workforce. Now awaiting Governor Jerry...
August 2012
55 posts
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Francesca Segrè: The Heartache of the Migrant... →
Luz, a reserved, intelligent 34-year-old Filipina from a poor farming family, moved into our high-rise apartment two years ago. One of nine children, not yet married, and with no jobs in her village, she tells me she decided to leave home rather than continue to help at her widowed mother’s grocery stall.
Thoughtful and organized, she was a wonder in our home. She toilet-trained our son when he...
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“Economic renewal that places working people and their families at the center of...”
– Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, Calif.
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The Philippines Ratifies Domestic Worker... →
Even though the United States encouraged strong protections when the convention was being drafted, it is unlikely that the country will ratify C189 anytime soon. C189 requires countries to pass implementing legislation to take efforts to meet the convention’s standards, and such legislation would override our current national labor laws. Our legal standards on the treatment of domestic workers...
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“But California’s bill is about more than domestic workers in California — it’s...”
– CA: Paving the Way for Dignified Work for All Women
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“I am Vivienne. I am making a stand. A lemonade stand. And, a stand against...”
– 8-Year-Old Girl Aims to End Human Trafficking With Lemonade Stand
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Domestic Violence Risks Increase For Undocumented... →
Since VAWA’s implementation, local, state, and national laws have started to change. Programs, business and communities have started to respond to victim’s needs in a more efficient way. Studies show that rates of violence and reporting of crime are going up.
Moreover, thanks to increased awareness brought on the issue of domestic violence, more than 660 state laws have passed to combat abuse...
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Beating human trafficking, one cup of coffee at a... →
An estimated 14,000 to 17,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked into the US annually. The Department of Justice says our area is one of the most intense regions for trafficking. Given those facts and overwhelming statistics, Raggett founded A 2nd Cup. “I feel like most times where people hear about it, the first question is, ‘How can I help’?” How about...
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“We are sorry that this case has come to an abrupt end without ever being tried....”
– Thai farmworkers on the dismissal of the Global Horizons case
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Who would benefit from raising the minimum wage? →
Women would be disproportionately affected, comprising nearly 55 percent of those who would benefit.
Nearly 88 percent of workers who would benefit are at least 20 years old.
Although workers of all races and ethnicities would benefit from the increase, non-Hispanic white workers comprise the largest share (about 56 percent) of those who would be affected.
About 42 percent of affected workers...
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“I think Americans are largely clueless about the labor in general that supplies...”
– Child laborers in the US pick your veggies — and they’re doing it legally
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Sweatshops Are Fashion's Dirty Little Secret. But... →
A large number of the office’s investigations uncover violations. “And we’re not talking minor violations. We’re not talking about technical errors,” Su says. Her investigations routinely turn up myriad abuses: Failure to pay minimum wage and overtime. Failure to provide wage statements, so workers know how much they worked and what pay they are entitled to....
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Anti-Medicaid states: Earning $11,000 is too much →
Sandra Pico is poor, but not poor enough.
She makes about $15,000 a year, supporting her daughter and unemployed husband. She thought she’d be able to get health insurance after the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama’s health care law.
Then she heard that her own governor won’t agree to the federal plan to extend Medicaid coverage to people like her in two years. So...
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“When my two sons were young, I worked for the phone company and was told when I...”
– Campaign for Paid Sick Days in New York City Aims to Support Working Women
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Thai laborers lament failure of trafficking case →
More than two dozen Thai farm laborers on Monday signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder lamenting the dismissal of human trafficking charges against people accused of exploiting them.
The letter expresses regret that the largest-ever human trafficking case brought by the U.S. government ended without going to trial. It tells Holder the workers had faith in the U.S. justice...
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How Would You Strengthen Social Security? →
Happy Birthday, Social Security! Play with this cool interactive tool on strengthening Social Security.
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Child Labor: 1938 Law Keeps Kids in the Fields →
If you walked into an auto-body shop and you saw an eight-year-old toiling over the open engine of a vehicle, alarms would probably go off in your head: Isn’t that child too young? Isn’t that work too hard?
Child labor laws have largely prevented this from happening, but thanks to a 1938 law that is still on the books, one sector has gone untouched when it comes to underage...
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“Half of the money goes to rent. After all of my expenses I don’t have anything...”
– Prince Jackson, a security guard at JFK airport who makes $1,000 per month.
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Is temp a trap? →
Temporary work can be a great way for young people to gain work experience while still studying or travelling. But, as the youth jobs crisis shows no signs of abating, temp jobs have become, in many cases, an option of last resort. The use of temporary contracts for young workers has nearly doubled since the onset of the economic crisis and young people in developed economies are far more...
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State ordered to reverse itself on some... →
Labor departments don’t track employment by occupation, so determining the seasonally jobless is imprecise. But the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics labeled 64,702 Georgians as private “educational service” workers last September, a category that includes teachers, assistants and other educators employed by private companies on contracts for public schools and universities.
...
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“If we truly respect the civil rights of people with disabilities, we must ensure...”
– Matthew Ozga, PHI
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Home health workers sweat Obama rule on pay →
An uneasy sense of deja vu is building among advocates for nearly 2 million workers who help the elderly and disabled live independently in their homes.
Because of a 38-year-old amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act, home health aides and personal care aides in many states can be paid less than the federal minimum wage – $7.25 an hour – and not receive overtime pay when they work more...
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What international protection is there? →
On 16 June 2011 the ILO adopted the Domestic Workers Convention (No. 189), stipulating conditions of decent work for domestic workers globally, including those migrating to work beyond the borders of their countries. As an international treaty it enshrines basic rights such as protection against all forms of abuse, harassment and violence, elimination of forced and child labour, freedom of...
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Does Wyoming need laws for human trafficking? →
Wyoming is the only state without statutes that specifically address human trafficking. Mary Ellison with the Polaris Project said this diminishes Wyoming’s ability to fight the crimes. “We are seeing more cases being presented to local law enforcement officials and local prosecutors,” she said. “They need these additional tools.” But Wyoming officials respond that the state’s system of...
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Samsung China assembler employs child workers,... →
A Chinese company that assembles devices for Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) hired children at its production facilities and forced employees to work excessive hours, violating labor laws, China Labor Watch said in a report.
Seven children younger than 16 were working in the factory of HEG Electronics (Huizhou) Co. that makes phones and DVD players for Samsung, according to the report issued...
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An immigration end-run in Texas →
Elected officials in Farmers Branch, Texas, deserve credit for their perseverance. They have spent four years and more than $4 million defending a misguided ordinance that bars landlords from renting to undocumented immigrants. Court after court has struck down the law as an unconstitutional intrusion into the federal government’s sole authority to regulate immigration. Still, city...
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“What is clear is that with increasing raids, more and more are arrested under...”
– From Europe: Olympics Lead to Increased Human Trafficking Raids in London
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“It is exciting to see so many state policy makers actively seeking ways to stop...”
– Mary Ellison, Polaris Project’s Director of Policy
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Miami-Dade Restaurants Filled With Sick Workers... →
Nine out of ten Miami restaurant workers have no access to earned paid sick days.
Nearly half report having worked while sick.
Among those, two-fifths had illnesses worsened as a result of going to work, increasing negative consequences for themselves and their families.
More than 10 percent reported infecting people they worked with.
Five percent admitted serving potentially contaminated...
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Ethan Rome: Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion Helps... →
Expanding Medicaid is a moral and fiscal imperative. No one should have to worry about their health care or go bankrupt because of crushing medical costs for themselves and their families. Medicaid helps provide health care and economic security for America’s families. We can’t achieve shared prosperity and equal opportunity in this country if people can’t get quality,...
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“This great Nation cannot afford to allow its citizens to suffer needlessly from...”
– President Harry Truman, 1948 State of the Union address
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A Warning for Retailers: Purchase Uzbek Cotton... →
Uzbekistan is the only country in the world where children are forced, by order of the government, to harvest cotton. Every fall, schools and public offices are shut down for a month and schoolchildren, teachers, and public servants are forced into the fields. Over a million children are affected, yet retailers around the world continue to purchase cotton picked under conditions akin to...
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