Audio File of the Week - Building Bridges Radio interview with author of Unregulated Work in the Global City

This was originally posted in part at UnionReview.com

This is Building Bridges Radio interview with Annette Bernhardt, Deputy Dir. of the Brennan Center for Justice Program at NYU and one of the author's of Unregulated Work in the Global City, a comprehensive study of the underground labor force in New York City.

This report covers the labor violations, the profiteers, the victims and the enablers that let it happen. Unfortunately most people will just bitch about undocumented workers, this report explains in great detail who we as tax paying Americans should focus our anger towards, the unscrupulous employers and those that allow it to happen.

Some quick facts learned via the report:

The policy makers allow what equates to slavery and sweatshop conditions right here in New York. With workers that do not benefit from the labor laws of the state, who are often misclassified and paid off the books, often below minimum wage and are without any means for a safe work environment.

These workers are often forced to work over 10 hours a day, sometimes 7 days a week, without breaks and usually without overtime pay. They face blatant discrimination and are in constant fear of the bosses reprisal if they step out of line. Sometimes they don't wind up getting paid at all.

Undermanned and under financed investigatory units such as OSHA, with it's 128 inspectors in the entire state, cannot police the jobs (an estimate is that it would take OSHA 96 years to investigate every NYS workplace just once).

Many agencies and politicians which should be regulating these infractions turn a blind eye.

From: The open source Archive-Where you can download this in many formats

Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report National Edition

Produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg

A recent study by the Brennan Center's Economic Justice Project, details the systemic violation of federal, state & local labor law which is increasingly the way of doing business in N.Y.C. Over a wide range of industries, employers pay less than the minimum wage, and sometimes nothing at all; deny overtime for 60-hour weeks, routinely ignore vital health and safety regulations even after injuries occur; and workers are subject to blatant discrimination, and retaliated against for speaking up or trying to organize.

For more information contact Ken Nash - knash@igc.org

Building Bridges is nationally broadcast throughout the country,in the N.Y.C Metropolitan area it is regularly broadcast live over WBAI, 99.5 FM on Mondays from 7-8pm EST and is streamed, archived and pod cast at www.wbai.org

In the words of Ed Ott, the Executive Director of NYC Central Labor Council "Every union official should have a copy" when speaking about Unregulated Work in the Global City

Download Links for Report (PDF Format):

Unregulated Work In The Global City - Full PDF

also recommended

Building Up New York, Tearing Down Job Quality: Taxpayer Impact of Worsening Employment Practices in the New York City Construction Industry - Full PDF

NYC: Four Points by Sheraton Paying Poverty Wages / Using Taxpayers For Workers Healthcare

The Four Points By Sheraton on W.25 street which was built with oppressed undocumented workers and gained notoriety when fighting in the streets broke out during the construction stage , is back in the news again . the director of Chelsea Grand Hung Luk and John Lam (chairman Chelsea Grand and notorious nonunion developer) are out to screw the taxpayers again , by not giving their workers health insurance .

The workers at the Sheraton Four Points Chelsea are out with the rat , protesting managment's violations of the law which include threats , harassment , intimidation , surveillance and termination of union supporters .

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John Lam is getting great attention lately in his bringing to the streets of New York an oppression of workers rights seen in most third world countries . While his developments continue to use unsafe contractors , undocumented , uninsured and unskilled workers , taxpayer monies , undermining labor laws and creating safety hazzards for their workers and the public a new schemes for profiting on taxpayers and the workers has come to my attention .

While the Sheraton Four Points Chelsea charges an average of $409 a night , they pay their workers poverty wages . Many of the workers who clean the rooms depend on Medicaid and Healthy Families First for themselves and their families .

Most NYC hotels provide free healthcare to their workers and families . The workers are out in the streets protesting management's violations of the law which include threats , harassment , intimidation , surveillance and termination of union supporters .

You too can show your support for the workers by calling Hung Luk , Executive Director of Chelsea Grand at 917-653-6688 and John Lam , Chairman of Chelsea Grand at 212-627-1888 and tell them to stop shifting their healthcare costs onto the taxpayers and to stop breaking the law .

Workers protesting outside of Four Points

Workers Handout

Alternative places to stay in the Downtown and Westside NYC area

(from back of handout)

Hotel Pennsylvania 7th. and w.32rd. st

Radisson Martinique 5th. and 32nd. st

Red Roof Inn 6 W 32nd. st

Comfort Inn 42 W 35th. st

Wolcot 4 W 31st. st

The New Yorker 8th. Ave and W 34th. st

Hotel Stanford 43 W 32nd. st

La Quints Manhattan 17 W 32nd. st

Affina Manhattan 7th. and W 30th. st

The Herrald Square Hotel 19 W 31st. st

Wingate Inn 233 W 35th. st

Bridgestreet Herald Towers - 50 W 34th. st - 1-800-696-8284 (no web page)

The Hotel Chelsea - W 23rd Street and 7th Ave

Holiday Inn Soho - 138 Lafayette St. and Canal St.

Washington Square Hotel 6th. ave and Macdougal St.

Info from previous stories and leaflet handed out by The New York Hotel And Motel trades Council , AFL-CIO - 707 8th. Ave., New York , NY 10036 - (212) 245-8100