Nearly two dozen workers who were owed tens of thousands of dollars finally got their wages after they quit, organized and fought back. Last fall, the workers were hired byGenesis, a local sub-contractor, to help build three large high rises in Northeast DC. While work proceeded on the mixed-use development, wages became a problem, as workers received partial payments or had paychecks bounce and eventually Genesis stopped paying wages entirely. One of the workers, David Rodriguez, soon discovered he was not alone: over 20 workers had not been paid. In frustration, they all quit and after Genesis stonewalled their demands for payment, they went to the general contractor, Manganaro Midatlantic, which refused to accept responsibility for the stolen wages. Turning to Trabajadores Unidos de Washington DC (TUWDC), the local advocacy group used DC’s Wage Theft Prevention Act, a 2014 law holding both contractors and subcontractors liable. According to Arturo Griffiths, Executive Director of TUWDC, twenty-three Genesis workers were owed more than $46,000 in back pay. Finally, after months of meetings, promises, and paperwork, Manganaro finally paid the workers on December 8th, two months after they first complained about not being paid. “This case is an important lesson for all DC workers,” says Griffiths, “showing how important it is for contractors and workers to understand the new law.” - edited by Mayra Alaniz; photo: workers with their back pay; courtesy Arturo Griffiths Signs like this have gone up in DC and across the country as part of National Nurses United’s campaign to defend Medicare and other health care programs, reports NNU’s Korey Hartwich. This one is from H Street west of 8th St.NW. More on NNU’s campaign here. by Victor Narro with illustrations by Yana Murashko and translation by Madelin Arroyo Romero In Jimmy's Carwash Adventure, young Jimmy takes his pedal car to the carwash and learns something about the world of work in the process. His subsequent stand against injustice teaches others the meaning of “solidarity.” “I want to help UC reach its goal of 50,000 subscribers,” writes Carl Goldman (AFSCME Council 26). “Where is the sign up button/page on the web site?”
We’ve just added a one-click sign-up form on our home page; look for “Subscribe to Union City Here!” on the top right and pass it along! |