SPRINGDALE -- The Northwest Arkansas Workers' Justice Center unexpectedly lost its executive director because of illness last fall, but that hasn't dimmed the passion its staff members have for protecting the low-wage worker -- nor, they contend, did the need for their assistance wane.
Founded in 2002, the organization helps low-income workers with ensuring their legal rights are protected in work-place issues, including workers' compensation, discrimination and what they describe as "wage theft."
Jose Luis Aguayo-Herrara, interim executive director, said wage theft applies to situations when employers refuse to pay their workers or keep them from collecting certain earned benefits. Such situations often involve undocumented workers (and about 80 percent of workers with such claims are Latino) but, Aguayo-Herrara said, it should not be considered an immigration issue. The NWAWJC also has assisted with wage theft cases for African Americans, Caucasians and Marshalese, he said.
In the case of undocumented workers, unscrupulous employers know their victims are hesitant to file complaints for fear they'll be deported, Aguayo-Herrara said. He contended law enforcement officials, whether it's police presented with theft of services complaints or prosecutors, often don't act….
http://www.arkansas-catholic.org/article.php?id=2301&sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4cb37af49b6be5a1,0
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