Monday, October 28, 2024

NYC Comptroller Lander Launches Comprehensive Immigrant Workers Resource Guide

 

In celebration of National Immigrants Day, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and the Office’s Bureau of Labor Law released the Immigrant Workers Resource Guide, a comprehensive, informational tool designed to empower and inform immigrant workers on the labor protections afforded to them by City, State, and Federal labor law. This resource is part of the Comptroller’s Office’s ongoing commitment to ensure that every worker, regardless of immigration status, can access fair wages, safe working conditions, and justice in the workplace.

“For over 400 years, generations of immigrants have shaped what it means to be New Yorkers—from the words we speak, the foods we eat, the music we celebrate, to the neighborhoods we cherish,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Yet unique challenges—such as language barriers, immigration status, and unfamiliarity with New York City’s services and protections—make it harder for exploited immigrant workers to access information and assert their rights in the workplace. I am proud to release this guide to serve as an informational roadmap for workers, community leaders, advocates, and service providers to better understand the protections available to immigrant workers across New York City.”

“Our office is deeply committed to enforcing and expanding labor protections for immigrant and low-wage workers through litigation, legislation, policy initiatives, outreach, and education,” said Claudia Henriquez, Director of Workers’ Rights at the Office of the Comptroller’s Bureau of Labor Law. “Our goal is to ensure that all New York City workers, including immigrants, know their rights to bargain for fair and safe workplaces. We hope that the Immigrant Workers Resource Guide will provide them with the tools and resources they need to protect themselves and thrive.”

The Immigrant Workers Resource Guide builds on the Comptroller’s Office’s continuous efforts to support and protect workers across New York City. The Comptroller’s Bureau of Labor Law enforces prevailing wage laws for construction workers on public projects, building service employees on properties receiving state tax benefits, and certain workers under city contracts. However, many immigrant workers remain unaware of the protections available to them under federal, state, and local laws.

In early September, the Comptroller’s Office launched the Employer Violations Dashboard, a searchable platform that allows the public to access information about private companies that have committed labor violations. The Dashboard revealed that between 2020 and 2023 local, state, and federal agencies investigating wage theft, found that hundreds of millions of dollars were owed to workers. Many of these violations disproportionately impact immigrant workers.

The Comptroller’s Office also released a report in late September, Safeguarding Outdoor Workers in a Changing Climate, providing recommendations on how to protect New York City workers in extreme heat and poor air quality. The report found that a third of New York City’s workforce work outdoors for prolonged periods of time, and these workers are disproportionately composed of non-citizen immigrants and Hispanic/Latino workers.

The Immigrant Workers Resource Guide includes:

  • The Workers’ Bill of Rights, a comprehensive overview of labor laws and protections, created as a result of local legislation passed in November 2023 and sponsored by New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif, which mandated the City to compile worker protection laws and require that they be made accessible to workers.
  • A directory of organizations that offer immigrant workers support in areas such as workforce development, legal assistance, and education.
  • A section on Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement (DALE), a federal program that provides temporary immigration relief to non-citizen immigrant workers who experience or witness labor violations and support labor agencies’ investigations into such violations.
  • A sample timesheet to help workers track their hours and document employer details.

The guide will be available in multiple languages online and distributed via community outreach programs, worksites, and partner organizations across the city.

If you would like to have your organization listed in the Immigrant Workers Resource Guide please fill out the form linked here.

Read the digital version of the Immigrant Workers Resource Guide here.

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