HOUSTON, Texas. Newsweek reports that Trump hired undocumented immigrants for one of his demolition projects. He paid them $4 an hour. It appears that Trump’s practice of hiring immigrant workers to save money is not an isolated occurrence. The Hill reports that Trump only hired one American worker out of 144 seasonal openings at his Mar a Lago resorts.
In the case of the demolition project in New York, Trump eventually settled the case with the demolition workers for $1.3 million. The workers claimed that they sometimes put in 12 to 16 hour shifts are were often not provided with safety equipment while working. Reports indicate that Trump threatened the workers with deportation when they complained about not being paid or protected on the job. The workers eventually won a wage violation case as well.
Yet, the demolition project was not the only case where Trump favored the labor of foreign workers over U.S. workers. When it comes to Trump’s Mar a Lago resort, according to Vox, most of the seasonal workers are H-2B visa holders. This practice may help explain why Trump may have expanded the guest worker program while restricting H1-B visas, which often go to highly-skilled workers in the tech industry. H-2B visa workers don’t usually earn high wages and employers don’t have to provide these workers with the same benefits they are required to provide to American workers. Some critics of the program claim that they deny American workers jobs that they would do if these jobs were offered at a fair or reasonable wage, and allow companies to cut corners by hiring foreign workers at lower wages. The process of hiring H-2B workers is complex and requires a specific process. Many companies that want foreign workers hire staffing companies to help them meet compliance. Other critics of Trump’s policies claim that the labor market in the Mar a Lago area should make it possible for Trump to hire local workers.
If you are looking for work, you have the right to be paid the minimum wage, receive worker’s compensation benefits, and be paid time-and-a-half for any overtime you perform. If you believe you are being misclassified as a worker, you may have certain rights under the law. Foreign workers are not exempt from these laws. If an undocumented immigrant is injured on the job, for example, he or she may be entitled to receive worker’s compensation benefits. Unfortunately, sometimes employers use the threat of deportation to keep workers from asserting their rights.
If you believe you are entitled to receive worker’s compensation benefits, payment for overtime, or if you were denied the minimum wage pay you believe you deserve, you may have certain rights under the law. Moore & Associates are employment lawyers in Houston, Texas who work closely with workers who have been denied their rights by their employers. Visit our firm at
https://www.mooreandassociates.net/ to learn more about your rights.
Moore & Associates
440 Louisiana Street, Suite 675
Houston, TX 77002
713-581-9001
