Thread: NJ: Feds to help underpaid Morristown day workers

I don't believe this. More TAX DOLLARS going to ILLEGAL supporting organizations. Are these people IMMIGRANTS or ILLEGAL ALIENS?

Feds to help underpaid Morristown day workers

BY MINHAJ HASSAN
DAILY RECORD
Thursday, April 5, 2007

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MORRISTOWN -- The Department of Labor is expected to enter into a two-year partnership with the Wind of the Spirit immigration resource center to help provide resources in identifying contractors who are underpaying day laborers, officials said.

The formal signing of the agreement is scheduled for today at 2 p.m., at the Wind of the Spirit headquarters, 19 Market St.

Joseph Petrecca, district director for the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division in Mountainside, said that while the two groups have had a longstanding relationship, it is important for immigrant day laborers to know they are entitled to fair wages.

" Often immigrant workers are reluctant to come ask for help because of fear," he said. "You are protected whether you are a citizen or not. You are required to be paid what the law requires."

While many of the day laborers may be immigrants, he said the Labor Department's job is to enforce the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which guarantees every worker be paid a fair wage, regardless of their citizenship status.

Petrecca said his office acts as a liaison between the government and the immigrant population. Over the years, it has trained Wind of the Spirit officials to provide assistance to immigrants and screen them for employment opportunities.

One of the reasons Mayor Donald Cresitello cited for having local police officers deputized was to bring into question contractors who are shortchanging illegal immigrants on wages.

Wind of the Spirit member Stuart Sydenstricker was skeptical of that claim.

"That can't be further from the truth," he said.

Cresitello vowed the police will not profile Hispanics through the Immigration and Customs Enforcement program, formally known as 287G.

Petrecca said his office regularly investigates cases of unfair labor practices, mostly involving contractors and immigrant day laborers.

"We investigate the employers, examine their audits, interview other workers and determine if they are complying,"Petrecca said.

If there's a case of wrongdoing, Petrecca said the employer must provide restitution to the employee, immigrant or not.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 5/ARCHIVES

Aid and abettment of illegals. Anyone who is hurt by an illegal in this area needs to file a lawsuit against the federal government. They will settle out of court just watch the lawyer you get.

This is one of the most idiotic things the federal government has come up with to date.

Originally Posted by 2ndamendsis

Joseph Petrecca, district director for the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division in Mountainside, said that while the two groups have had a longstanding relationship, it is important for immigrant day laborers to know they are entitled to fair wages.

" Often immigrant workers are reluctant to come ask for help because of fear," he said. "You are protected whether you are a citizen or not. You are required to be paid what the law requires."

While many of the day laborers may be immigrants, he said the Labor Department's job is to enforce the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which guarantees every worker be paid a fair wage, regardless of their citizenship status.

Prisoners don't get paid decent wages after they commit a crime and have to go work in jail. Why should illegal immigrants that become criminals the moment their foot touches our soil deserve anything better than criminal/prison wages? The Fair Labor Standards Act might guarantee wages regardless of citizenship status...maybe a statement about lawfulness needs to be added to that Act.

I agree the employers benefit and should be sought out and punished, but it needs to be a two prong approach. Hit the employers and hit the illegals, they are both breaking the law!

It's just politics
Churches' position keys Cresitello criticism

Sunday, April 1, 2007

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The mayor of Morristown now is criticizing some of the churches in town, which is an apt example of how the emotional conflict over immigration is spilling its banks.

At a meeting last week, Mayor Donald Cresitello said some churches have done nothing to help the town deal with the current influx of immigrants other than possibly pass the collection plate around. We admire the mayor's frankness, but his statement simply was not true.

Some churches have hosted meetings to help immigrants, and more importantly, have sought the town's help in opening a center for day laborers to meet. That would eliminate the daily congregating of Latino day laborers on Morris Street, which to some, hurts the town's image.

Cresitello acknowledges that, but says such a center would be a hard sell, noting, "Nobody is going to want that property located near their home." No kidding. Leadership, however, is trying to find solutions to tricky problems.

The mayor's anger at some churches seems keyed by the fact that some ministers in town are loudly and publicly opposing Cresitello's plan to deputize police officers to enforce immigration law. So, the mayor fires back. Call it a typical political response.

What makes it a little different is that most mayors are not going to take on churches. Cresitello, for better or for worse, is not like most mayors.

Some Morristown ministers told the Daily Record that they were insulted. They really shouldn't be. Ministers, like everyone else, should realize that if they wade into politics, some people are going to disagree with them. They should not take the mayor's comments all that seriously. He's just playing politics.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 94/OPINION