“(Some do not have) the ability to seek traditional outlets in government to get
help,” he said. “(This is a) workforce that may not speak English, that often has an
undocumented status and doesn’t necessarily have the support networks locally
that other workers might have. That is a very important element of this, just how
vulnerable some of these workers are.”
Xavier said there is a population of employees “working in the shadows.”
“They feel that they don’t have somewhere to turn if something happens. There are
organizations out here willing to help undocumented workers and that’s one of the
things we try to inform and educate the workers about, that they do have some
options for help,” he said.
Xavier said many undocumented workers feel they have no rights.
”When they are a victims of wage theft, they take it on the chin and think this is just
part of the life of being an immigrant in this country. They think, ʻI will just lose a
week of pay or I didn’t get paid, so I just won’t work for that guy again,’ but they will
work for someone else who in the future will end up cheating them as well,” he said.
Xavier, who speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese, spoke directly to viewers in
Spanish, assuring them that regardless of their immigration status they have rights.
“If you have been a victim of wage theft, please reach out. Wage theft is a big
problem in the construction industry, but there are resources to hep you and the
agencies that help you recover these funds are not interested in your immigration
status,” he said in Spanish. “They just want every worker to receive the money the
are owed.”
The conversation can be viewed on Lesser’s social media platforms, including
@Ericclesser on Twitter and at facebook.com/EricLesserMA.
To file a complaint with the state attorney general, visit mass.gov/orgs/theattorney-generals-fair-labor-division or the U.S. Department of Labor at dol.gov
Workers can receive multilingual help from Justice at Work at jatwork.org.
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