37. Protect American and Immigrant Workers from Exploitation

WHEREAS the State and Federal laws provide some protection from companies exploiting their workers, but this protection needs to be increased,

WHEREAS undocumented workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because they cannot complain to the Labor Relations Board about illegal treatment, cannot join unions, and cannot strike or protest poor working conditions without risk of deportation or job loss,

WHEREAS prosecution of undocumented workers has only resulted in more silence on the part of the exploited illegal workers and appears to encourage unscrupulous companies to use more and more undocumented workers in order to bring down wages and circumvent labor protection laws,

WHEREAS allowing undocumented workers to be exploited encourages unscrupulous companies to lower the benefits and wages for all U.S. workers: citizen and non-citizen alike; and

WHEREAS it is the right of everyone who works in the United States to be paid a fair wage sufficient to support his or her family, and to have, as part of their job, sufficient health and other benefits,

WHEREAS encouraging undocumented workers to report abuses and exploitation will benefit all workers and inhibit the erosion of working Americans' rights, and therefore, rewarding any employee, documented or not, for reporting violations of labor laws with part of the fines assessed against the company will benefit all workers and serve as a check on exploitive labor practices

WHEREAS enlisting undocumented workers in reporting the exploitive companies, requires that we protect them against prosecution, job loss and deportation due to their immigrant status,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party will work to strengthen laws which protect workers from exploitive practices, poor wages, poor working conditions, inadequate benefits, and using part-time or contractor status to deny benefits,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party will work for legislation that rewards and protects all workers (including undocumented) from job loss, prosecution or deportation, who report labor law violations.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party will work for legislation which imposes substantial fines on companies which violate labor laws and exploit their workers.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party will work against legislation that causes deportation, job loss, retribution, or punishment of  any worker (documented  or undocumented)  who reports labor violations or exercises his or her right to peaceful protest against poor working conditions.