Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

Finds that although working immigrant families were twice as likely as working native families to be low income or poor, they were much less likely than low-income native families to participate in the EITC, receive income assistance, Food Stamps, or housing assistance, and/or have their children enrolled in child care.

During the 1990s, one out of every two new workers was an immigrant. While many immigrants speak English well and enter the United States with strong academic credentials and skills, many others do not. Like other low-skilled workers, few of these immigrants enjoyed the benefits of employer-provided training programs, most of which are geared to managers or highly skilled workers.

Documents critical hazards to worker health and safety in the U.S. meat and poultry industry, which increasingly relies on immigrant workers. Explains how government failure to regulate the industry violates international human rights and labor standards protections; recommends ways that federal and state governments and meat and poultry companies can improve conditions and comply with international standards.

The analysis paints a detailed picture of the penalties of wages and living conditions imposed on undocumented workers by their lack of legal status, with results relevant to other large urban areas where the undocumented are concentrated. A survey of 1,323 immigrant workers found Latin American workers earned less than other comparable workers (22 percent for men and 36 percent for women) and reported higher levels of unsafe working conditions, wage-and-hour violations, and lack of health insurance.

More than eight million working-age adults in the United States—5 percent of all adults—speak English poorly or do not speak it at all. Immigrant populations, many of them limited English proficient, are going to be essential for the growth of the U.S. workforce in the years to come. This study recommends improving the resources for language and job training available to LEP populations.

Shows how state laws and agency actions can advance the labor rights of immigrant workers; profiles selected local campaigns. Describes improved policies for language access, government benefits and services, confidentiality provisions, access to drivers' licenses, rights and remedies under labor and employment law, and access to workers' compensation.

The report’s findings reveal that the day-labor market is rife with violations of workers’ rights. Day laborers are regularly denied payment for their work, many are subjected to demonstrably hazardous job sites, and most endure insults and abuses by employers. The vast majority of laborers are immigrants and Latino, 28 percent are U.S. citizens, 75 percent are undocumented, and almost two-thirds of the workers have children.

Leading portrait of economic factors facing low-wage workers, updated bi-annually by the Economic Policy Institute, examines trends in benefit growth and inequality, the shift to low-paying industries, the impact of demographic change on poverty, and international comparisons; includes information on Asian, Hispanic, and immigrant workers.

The author documents the growing role of worker centers in protecting rights and promoting social connection for low-wage immigrant workers. She identifies 137 worker centers in 80 cities and 31 states that assist immigrant workers in recovering unpaid wages, provide English classes and other services, advocate for enforcement and new laws, and organize members through leadership development. The author also assesses the strengths and weaknesses of worker centers in helping workers navigate the worlds of work and legal rights in the United States.