Local Immigrant Workers Stand Up to Abusive Employer

Local construction workers and their supporters -- including a delegation of New Orleans construction workers -- rallied in front of the NLRB Monday morning. More than 100 current and former employees of D.C.-based construction company Tito Contractors are suing the company for failing to pay them overtime, claiming that they worked 60 hours a week regularly without getting paid and were threatened with retaliation when they tried to speak out...

“Undocumented workers have the right to organize,” said DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. “You have courage. Don’t lose it; you are going to win!” Tefere Gebre, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President said that “For every one of you there are tens of thousands of workers who are afraid to stand up. Keep on fighting, keep on working!” Tito employees attempted to form a union last year, organizing with the Painters District Council 51. In their complaint to the NLRB, workers say they were then fired and retaliated against by Tito Contractors. Several workers also reported that company supervisors threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement to try to silence them and stop the organizing effort. “Workers deserve real protections when they speak out against bad employers, no matter where they were born,” said Jobs With Justice Immigrant Rights Campaign Organizer Natalie Patrick-Knox. photos by Chris Garlock