[illegal] Immigrant laborers rebelling against low wages

Washington Post ^

[SoldierMedic]

NEW YORK — The deliverymen of Saigon Grill labored for years at the bottom of Manhattan's food chain. Biking swiftly down the avenues in biting cold and searing heat, they schlepped up high-rises and walk-ups with bags of steaming noodles and shrimp fried rice.

Then they surprised their bosses — and others in this seen-it-all town — by serving up something unexpected: a revolt.

Saigon Grill's owner fired them. It might have ended there, but as the immigrant-labor movement gains steam in a number of major U.S. cities, the men opted to fight back. With the help of local groups aiming to organize legal and illegal immigrants in New York, the men filed a lawsuit against the owner. In March, they began daily picket lines at the restaurant's two Manhattan locations.

"We have been going under the assumption that because we have no papers, we were powerless, but we were wrong," Ke, 35, a Chinese immigrant and former Saigon Grill deliveryman, said during a recent protest at the restaurant's Union Square branch. As with others at the protest, Ke requested his surname be withheld because he is in this country illegally. "We have discovered that we have the power to act."

[SoldierMedic]

Most illegal immigrants in the United States, observers said, remain too fearful to participate in such public actions. But a growing assertiveness in some pockets of the country's illegal-immigrant community of 12 million people is beginning to answer at least one key question in the immigration debate: What would happen if illegal-immigrant workers decided one day that enough is enough?

In a perfect world, they'd expose themselves and be picked up by ICE.

[mtbopfuyn]

And ICE and Jorge continue to turn a blind eye.

[COUNTrecount]

So they’re reporting the tips they receive for food delivery and paying taxes, right?

[LNewman]

And the business owner would be fined and/or serve the hard time he so justly deserves.

[VeritatisSplendor]

My, they’re getting uppity. I remember the days when you could see them sleeping on cardboard flats behind the restaurant. Fancy wanting a living wage.

Mrs VS

[captjanaway]

In a perfect world, they wouldn’t be here at all.

[Mumbles]

Screw the employers and screw the illegals! They are getting what they deserve and doing jobs that could have been done with proper expectations and taxes paid.

How do the employers PAY illegals without either false documents or evading taxes? Some clown judge will reach a verdict that is wrong no matter what. Hopefully, the judge will ask for ALL of their tax returns and deport the illegals with what may be owed them - that is the only answer.

Soon the illegals will realize they can buy their own restaurant, get more illegals, keep evading taxes and having Americans unable to obtain the jobs they are unwilling to do.I love being a Nativist, alleged "Racist" by those who despise Americans, a taxpaying "worker" that no longer exists (according to GWB), and ALL of the other appropriate epithets. Real CORRECT not Politically Correct!,

[org.whodat]

So they’re reporting the tips they receive for food delivery and paying taxes, right?

There are a few posters here that say it's the truth. LOL

[John Jorsett]

This could be good. If illegal labor becomes as much or more of a PITA as legal labor, maybe it’ll become more cost-effective to hire Americans and legal residents again.

[CRBDeuce]

If you deleted all the WaPo whine articles about NYC, and all the NewYukTimes whine articles about DC, birds might have to go back to actually using store bought birdcage paper! Ahhh, for the old trucking contract that moves the articles back and forth from NYC to DC!

[TheBattman]

Simple answer - GO HOME!!!

[ClaireSolt]

So cheap labor turns into union scale, but you still cannot communicate with the deliveryman who doesn’t speak English. Such a deal.

[nicmarlo]

"We have been going under the assumption that because we have no papers, we were powerless, but we were wrong,"

DEPORT THEM!

[Borax Queen]

Gee, how did we know this was coming...

Almost every job in the paper in southern AZ requires (uh, prefers?) bilingual so the illegal aliens are now poised to take even more jobs from us.

[Ron H.]

The restaurant owners and others being hit with these labor suits and actions deserve what they get in the end but one would think that at least they know which of the protesters are (likely) illegal and either report them directly to ICE or have a cut-out do it for them.

[Will88]

“The deliverymen said that the restaurant’s owner, Simon Nget, offered to increase wages from $1.60 to $4 an hour, but only if they dropped their unionization bid. When they refused, they said, he fired them.”

This is an example of a business that shouldn’t exist in the US, and could only exist in an almost underground economy of illegals and exploitive business owners. There are probably tips involved, but apparently not enough to raise the compensation to a reasonable level. We don’t need to type of business in the US, and enforcing our immigration laws will make them most less common.

[mvpel]

“The deliverymen said that the restaurant’s owner, Simon Nget, offered to increase wages from $1.60 to $4 an hour, but only if they dropped their unionization bid. When they refused, they said, he fired them.”

This is nothing more than modern-day indentured servitude. Simon Nget should be brought up on federal criminal charges, not just for employing illegal immigrants, but also for his shameless violation of the 13 Amendment.

[jpsb]

"This is an example of a business that shouldn’t exist in the US"

Bump, and because it does other businesses are driven to do the same hiring practices to remain competitive. Etc, etc, etc, cheap labor = dead middle class.

[nicmarlo]

so the illegal aliens are now poised to take even more jobs from us.

Naw...they're "just doing the jobs Americans don't want to do"...remember?

[dljordan]

“And ICE and Jorge continue to turn a blind eye.”

The slaves are revolting against their masters. This could cause Washington to actually enforce the law and deport them so they can import some new ones.