New York Attorney General Letitia James wants to crackdown predatory employers who are retaliating against workers by threatening to expose their immigration status to federal authorities.
On Thursday, AG James introduced a legislation to prohibit employers from retaliating against immigrant workers. The legislation would amend the New York Labor Law to clarify that unlawful retaliation includes threats against an individual regarding their immigration status.
Protecting New York State’s vulnerable workers
In a statement, AG James said, “New York State was built by immigrants and it has always stood proudly as a beacon of hope and opportunity no matter where you were born.”
“This legislation will represent a critical step toward protecting some of our most vulnerable workers by ensuring that they are not silenced or punished by threats related to their immigration status,” she added.
Under the state’s current labor law, employers cannot cannot fire, threaten, penalize, or otherwise discriminate against a worker who reports or complains about minimum wage, overtime, or other wage and hour violations.
Undocumented workers at Trump golf clubs allegedly subjected to abuse
The Attorney General’s action comes amid reports that President Donald Trump’s golf club threatened an employee with deportation if she spoke out against her superior. Her office also received numerous reports from other employees regarding similar threats.
