Asian Workers and Prop. 187

In his column supporting Prop. 187 (Sept. 30), Norman Matloff rationalized Prop. 187’s unjust effects on immigrant communities by arguing that those communities actually support it. In particular, he quotes me completely out of context to support his thesis that undocumented workers hurt those already legally working in California.

Contrary to Matloff’s speculations, Asian workers in immigrant communities face worsening working conditions not because undocumented workers work alongside them, but because unscrupulous businesses in the garment, agriculture, food and service industries exploit the vulnerability of undocumented workers. These workers often do not demand their most basic labor rights for fear of employer retaliation in the form of a call to the INS. Employers can thus get away with paying them sub-minimum wages and no overtime, and reap huge profits as a result.

Prop. 187 provides no solution to this problem of super-exploitation, which I raised in my original statement and Matloff quoted out of context. Prop. 187 is merely a mean-spirited and fearful response to a stagnant economy and ineffectual leadership. To stop the downward pressure on wages, labor laws must be enforced vigorously against sweatshop employers. Forcing employers to pay all workers minimum wage and overtime, regardless of immigration status, removes their incentive to hire and exploit the undocumented to the detriment of all workers, whether documented or not.

The Assembly and Senate tried to address this problem by putting before Gov. Pete Wilson three labor law enforcement bills that would have tackled the chronic labor law violations in the sweatshop industries. As a favor to his friends in big business, Wilson vetoed all three.

Thanks to Wilson, undocumented workers will continue to be exploited as they take the jobs citizen workers reject--harvesting our crops, taking care of our houses and children, busing our dishes and sewing our clothes. Prop. 187 won’t drive them out, it will just deprive them of medical care, basic social benefits and schooling of their children.

LORA JO FOO, Staff Attorney

Asian Law Caucus

San Francisco