Victory for Day Labor Workers in Lake Forest, CA
Filed Under (Civil Liberties Video) by webmaster on 08-31-2008
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Victory Gathering for Day Labor workersAugust 30, 2008Lake Forest, CA……………………………….Settlement: OC laborers can seek jobs from streetsThe Associated Press08/27/2008 SANTA ANA, Calif.—A settlement between day laborers and the Orange County sheriff’s office calls for authorities to acknowledge workers’ rights to seek work while standing on sidewalks, according to attorneys for the laborers. The settlement was reached last week, but attorneys did not release details until Wednesday. The agreement stems from a federal harassment lawsuit filed last year by about 50 day laborers against the Sheriff’s Department, the county and several individuals over a Lake Forest city ordinance that barred workers from soliciting work on street corners. The city later repealed the ordinance and was dropped from the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged deputies violated workers’ right to free speech by telling them they couldn’t seek work on a street corner. In court papers, deputies said they were responding to residents’ complaints that workers were littering and trespassing. Under the terms of the agreement, the Sheriff’s Department agreed that “people have a right to offer themselves for work,” and affirmed the right of contractors to solicit workers as long as no law is violated, said Tessie Borden, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the workers. Borden said the case “was not just a challenge of an existing ordinance. This goes further, establishing an existing and inviolable right.” According to the agreement, the sheriff’s office admitted no wrongdoing and retains authority to enforce laws that prohibit jaywalking, double parking and littering. S. Frank Harrell, an attorney for the deputies, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday night. Author: VronRN2 |
