Stealing From Our Neighbors (Because Horses Are More Important)

I came across this report at home last night: Baltimore’s Day Laborer Report: Their Stolen Sweat. Download it, print it out, flip through the pages. (It's a big report; don't try it if you have a dial up connection)

Check out the introduction on page 7; see how we subsidize below minimum wages on page 8.

On page 10: "Seventeen of the twenty survey participants reported at least one instance of an employer’s failure to pay wages. Approximately 15 to 20 workers contact CASA’s Baltimore Center each week with a complaint of unpaid wages."

On page 21: "Jose was employed as a foreman and supervisor (for a local landscape company). Although Jose and his co-workers typically worked 10 to 12 hour days, his boss ordered him to record only eight hours on their timesheets. When Jose refused to alter the employees timesheets, the boss fired him, a clear violation of public policy."

This report provides a sobering picture of a labor market experience that a) exists in our backyard; and b) most of us know nothing about.

Here is the clincher: Yesterday, Gov. Ehrlich announced that the state is closing the state offices that are responsible for enforcing minimum wage and prevailing wage laws. The General Assembly tried to stop this cut during the most recent legislative session (by diverting funds that the governor had budgeted to subsidize horse racing purses); however, the governor claims that the legislature's move was beyond it's Constitutional power.

As we emphasized in an earlier blog post, this is our community. The choices that are made reflect our collective values and priorities. Does the treatment of day laborers documented in the report and the closing of offices responsible for enforcing the state’s wage laws reflect your values and priorities?

Update June 17, 2005: The prevailing wage enforcement office will remain open; however, the Employment Standards Division, which is responsible for child labor, minimum wage and other wage enforcement will close.

The Baltimore Sun reported that an attorney for the General Assembly found a 1997 law that established minimum staffing levels for the prevailing wage enforcement office. Because that law has not been repealed (and the governor can't do so unilaterally), the office must remain open. Given the governor's demonstrated commitment to close the office, it will be interesting to see how actively the staff will enforce Maryland's prevailing wage laws.

Unfortunately, there is no similar law that mandates staffing for the Employment Standards Division, so those offices will close by the governor's order.