MORE Bill Would end Immigration Consequences of Legal Cannabis Consumption
Cecilia Faringer-Perez Cannabis has rapidly entered mainstream U.S. culture over the past several years. Thirty-seven states have medical use laws on the books, and eighteen of them plus the District of Columbia allow adults to legally consume cannabis. However, immigrants face severe consequences including deportation if they are caught using cannabis. Even legal residents who […]
Urban Institute releases findings from EWF study
Following the historic #ExcludedWorkersFund, the Urban Institute executed a research study looking at the impact and execution of the Fund through interviews with both advocates and workers. The Tompkins County Workers’ Center was one of the non-profits who participated in the study. Today, the Urban Institute released their findings from the study. A brief summarizing […]
NYS DOL’s EWF Whitepaper Highlights Recipient Helped by TCWC
The New York State Department of Labor published a whitepaper about the Excluded Workers’ Fund. The paper highlighted the importance of having a program to support workers excluded from traditional unemployment insurance and federal pandemic unemployment assistance, most of whom are undocumented. It also illustrated the positive impact the Fund had in the lives of […]
Biden administration finalizes new rule reshaping US asylum system
Source: CNN, By Priscilla Alvarez CNN)The Biden administration will soon release a federal regulation that overhauls the US asylum system to settle claims at a faster pace and help alleviate the immigration court backlog. The new rule gives asylum officers more authority by allowing them to hear and decide asylum claims — cases that are […]
The wage board recommends phasing in a 40-hour overtime threshold over the next 10 years, a major step toward making that a reality for Farmworkers in New York.
The Farm Laborers Wage Board issued a resolution on Friday that the overtime threshold be lowered to forty hours from the current sixty-hour level. The Board recommended that the change be phased in over the next ten years. Now, it is up to Commissioner of Labor Roberta Reardon to accept the Board’s recommendation. Farmworkers in […]
A closer look at the argument against lowering the overtime threshold for farmworkers
Last week, I attended one of the three hearings held by the Farm Laborers Wage Board to collect public comment on the issue of whether New York should lower the overtime threshold for farmworkers from its current sixty hours per week to the forty-hour standard in all other industries. Each public participant was afforded three minutes […]
Independent Contractors: Know your Rights (Contratistas Independientes: Conozca sus Derechos)
Right to Challenge Your Employment Status Misclassification of workers as independent contractors is a common way for employers to avoid paying for benefits that employees are legally entitled to under the law. Ask yourself the following questions to make sure that you are not being cheated out of benefits like Paid Sick Leave, Paid Family […]
Important Immigration Law Changes in House’s Build Back Better Act
The House’s Build Back Better Act (BBBA) supported by President Biden and congressional Democrats is headed to the senate with major immigration reform provisions. The BBBA includes some key changes that you should know about. Section 60001 of the BBBA includes language that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to permit foreign nationals […]
Study Shows that Immigrant Workers are Subject to Wage Theft Even in the Tech Sector
A study issued by the Economic Policy Institute on December 9th shows that even in the tech sector, immigrants are paid less than their U.S. counterparts, despite Federal legal regulations in place to safeguard against it. The law says immigrant labor is meant only to augment, not replace American workers. However, because many multinational companies […]
Everything You Need to Know About Sick Pay for COVID
The New York State Paid Sick Leave Act went into effect almost one and a half years ago. The progressive law provided paid sick leave for workers working for employers in New York State with five or more employees or $1M+ in annual revenue. New York Workers started accruing paid sick leave at the rate […]
Everything You Need to Know About Taxes on the Excluded Workers Fund
The Fund Excluded Workers’ Coalition, with support from Congressional Representatives and Senator Chuck Schumer, has made an enormous effort to get a straight answer from the IRS regarding the question of whether Excluded Workers Fund payments will be taxable on the federal level. As many of our readers already know, state taxes were proactively withheld […]
Latinx Workers Lag in Retirement Savings
Latinx workers are one of the fastest-growing demographics in the US labor force today. However, according to a recent study by Morningstar, compared to other groups, Hispanic workers face major in allocating adequate retirement savings. According to the report, only 31% of Hispanic households with income (defined as having at least one part-time job) are […]
These Inclusive Banks don’t Require an SSN to Open an Account
Opening your first U.S. bank account can be a frustrating experience if you don’t have the laundry list of documents that many financial institutions require. However, saving money is still possible if you choose the right bank. To open a bank account, you will need to prove: Name and date of birth. If you’re undocumented, […]
Biden’s Build Back Better Plan: Immigrant Workers Need Justice, not just Work Permits
The administration’s ambitious Build Back Better Plan passed by House Democrats earlier this month to overhaul significant areas of the U.S. economy would have a significant positive effect on the position of workers if passed into law. In addition, the more than $2 trillion reconciliation bill is a source of hope to millions of immigrant […]
Thousands of Immigrant Workers Rally for a Pathway to Citizenship in D.C.
Thousands of immigrant workers and their families rallied in the capital on Thursday to demand that Congress include a pathway to citizenship in the $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” plan. The Senate parliamentarian advised against including immigration reform in the budget reconciliation bill – a decision that affects millions of immigrants, in New York and […]
The forgotten fourth element of Excluded Workers Fund (EWF) eligibility
Residency, unemployment ineligibility, and loss of work-related earnings or increased financial burden due to death or disability of primary breadwinner. The Excluded Workers Fund was passed on April 8th after a tireless effort by community-based organizations that included a 23-day hunger strike. In July, the Department of Labor issued regulations for the fund’s implementation. The […]
More than $850M in Excluded Workers Fund benefits allocated; payments are ahead of schedule, according to Hochul
Governor Hochul announced last week that $250 million of the $2.1 billion Excluded Workers Fund (EWF) have already been released. An additional $600 million has been approved as of September 3. The fund provides up to $15,600 in direct cash assistance to workers shut-out of traditional state unemployment and federal COVID relief programs. Speaking to […]
Everything You Need For A Successful Application to the Excluded Workers Fund
The Excluded Workers Fund is a $2.1B fund that provides direct payments to undocumented workers in New York State who lost income during COVID but were ineligible for unemployment insurance. The application is completely confidential – application materials are never shared with any immigration enforcement agency. Workers may be eligible for either $16,400 Tier 1 […]
Excluded Workers Deserve Support, and It’s Here.
The historic #ExcludedWorkersFund includes a one-time payment to New Yorkers who suffered income loss but were left out of UI, PUA, and other federal benefits. Watch this step-by-step walk-through of the application process and apply today. If you need assistance with the application, please reach out to cecilia.perez.ewf@gmail.comSi necesita ayuda con la solicitud, comunÃquese con […]
NY Legislature Likely to Pass H4A but not EWF in 2022 Budget
New York State Lawmakers are expected to pass Healthcare for All (H4A) but not a renewal of the Excluded Workers’ Fund. H4A would significantly expand access to health insurance for undocumented New Yorkers. As negotiations currently stand, it seems unlikely that the cash-relief provided by the Excluded Workers Fund will make it into the 2022 […]
Labor professionals sign letter opposing PERB’s proposed rule that fails to address farmworker union certification issues
45 signatures were collected in support of the opposition. Since the passage of the Farmworker Fair Labor Standards Act in 2019, organizers and farmworkers have contended with a lack of infrastructure within PERB to handle the certification of farmworker unions and to investigate unfair labor practice complaints. PERB, the Public Employees Relations Bureau, is the […]
Farmworker Overtime Benefits
By Sara Tsai (Source: on labor) The Current Overtime Threshold for Farmworkers On January 28, 2022, the New York Farm Laborer Wage Board made a landmark decision to lower the current 60-hour overtime threshold for farm workers to 40 hours. Workers start earning time-and-a-half pay for hours worked in excess of the OT threshold. Beginning in 2024, the threshold […]
Workers in the Cash Economy Struggle to Access the Excluded Workers Fund
Many New Yorkers working in the cash economy are being left out of the Excluded Workers Fund (EWF) because they cannot prove their work eligibility. The EWF provides up to $15,600 to workers who lost income during the COVID-induced economic shutdown but were ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits. The fund primarily benefits undocumented and partially-documented […]