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Discrimination occurs everyday in the United States, and it can take the many different forms. Discrimination is defined as the unequal treatment of a person or group of people. Discrimination in the workplace was made illegal by the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects U.S. citizens from being discriminated against due to his or her race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, when seeking a job ( Lee ). Although this act allowed many people to obtain certain jobs that weren’t available to them before, where is the protection for undocumented workers in the United States? Treating people doing the same jobs, and in some cases more demanding jobs, unfairly because they lack certain documentation is by definition …show more content…
During an interview with a man who has worked for 15 years in the United States as an undocumented worker in the construction field, he discusses his experiences as an undocumented worker in comparison to his experiences today after receiving proper documentation. When asked, what is the difference between working in the United States now and before, when he did not have legal documentation, he responded without hesitation, “I now have health benefits and pay is much better”(interview). He was also asked, “have you ever got hurt on the job and what did you do?” He went on to answer, “I have cut myself very bad and I have even got tile in my eye, but I did not feel safe to go to the hospital or even say anything to my boss because I was scared of what he would say”( interview ). There are many cases like this were hard-working undocumented immigrants get hurt on the job and do not say anything be cause they do not have health benefits or they fear the repercussions. They are forced to keep quiet about any injuries that occur, or risk losing everything they have worked so hard for. In addition to getting hurt, undocumented workers often get taken advantage of in regards to the pay scale. Workplace fairness states, “Undocumented workers are among the most vulnerable and exploited workers in our country, as frequent victims of …show more content…
For now, undocumented workers can file claims but they are not every useful. Michele LeVoy says, “When other means of protecting undocumented workers’ rights turn out to be unsuccessful in labor disputes, undocumented workers can resort to filing an official claim through legal channels. This can be difficult and challenging task, as there are numerous obstacles involved in making a claim: the fear of being deported, high legal fees, and the high need to prove the employment relation”(LeVoy). That said, the first step to creating better working conditions for undocumented workers is the government making it well known to the workers that there will be no threat of deportation for reaching out and making a claim. If undocumented workers feel safer reaching out and reporting hazardous conditions, injuries, or unfair treatment, then the business owners will be held to higher standards and the workers will have a safer environment. LeVoy also stated, “Undocumented workers tend to be reluctant to approach government agencies. Nevertheless, many government agencies, including the entity responsible for labor inspection, do not let a worker’s irregular legal status impede their main task, namely to uphold fair working conditions and to sanction exploitative and abusive employers”( LeVoy ). If government agencies were more willing to help
Discrimination occurs everyday in the United States, and it can take the many different forms. Discrimination is defined as the unequal treatment of a person or group of people. Discrimination in the workplace was made illegal by the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects U.S. citizens from being discriminated against due to his or her race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, when seeking a job ( Lee ). Although this act allowed many people to obtain certain jobs that weren’t available to them before, where is the protection for undocumented workers in the United States? Treating people doing the same jobs, and in some cases more demanding jobs, unfairly because they lack certain documentation is by definition …show more content…
During an interview with a man who has worked for 15 years in the United States as an undocumented worker in the construction field, he discusses his experiences as an undocumented worker in comparison to his experiences today after receiving proper documentation. When asked, what is the difference between working in the United States now and before, when he did not have legal documentation, he responded without hesitation, “I now have health benefits and pay is much better”(interview). He was also asked, “have you ever got hurt on the job and what did you do?” He went on to answer, “I have cut myself very bad and I have even got tile in my eye, but I did not feel safe to go to the hospital or even say anything to my boss because I was scared of what he would say”( interview ). There are many cases like this were hard-working undocumented immigrants get hurt on the job and do not say anything be cause they do not have health benefits or they fear the repercussions. They are forced to keep quiet about any injuries that occur, or risk losing everything they have worked so hard for. In addition to getting hurt, undocumented workers often get taken advantage of in regards to the pay scale. Workplace fairness states, “Undocumented workers are among the most vulnerable and exploited workers in our country, as frequent victims of …show more content…
For now, undocumented workers can file claims but they are not every useful. Michele LeVoy says, “When other means of protecting undocumented workers’ rights turn out to be unsuccessful in labor disputes, undocumented workers can resort to filing an official claim through legal channels. This can be difficult and challenging task, as there are numerous obstacles involved in making a claim: the fear of being deported, high legal fees, and the high need to prove the employment relation”(LeVoy). That said, the first step to creating better working conditions for undocumented workers is the government making it well known to the workers that there will be no threat of deportation for reaching out and making a claim. If undocumented workers feel safer reaching out and reporting hazardous conditions, injuries, or unfair treatment, then the business owners will be held to higher standards and the workers will have a safer environment. LeVoy also stated, “Undocumented workers tend to be reluctant to approach government agencies. Nevertheless, many government agencies, including the entity responsible for labor inspection, do not let a worker’s irregular legal status impede their main task, namely to uphold fair working conditions and to sanction exploitative and abusive employers”( LeVoy ). If government agencies were more willing to help