Chicago Butcher Demands His Pay—With A Little Help From Friends

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/11768/chicago_butcher_demands_his_pay_today/

Monday Aug 1, 2011 9:38 am

By Kari Lydersen

Miguel Brito, a Mexican immigrant, has worked at a Chicago butcher shop called Dona Mari’s 2 for 16 years. Brito says he has been cheated out of wages consistently for most of his employment there. Wage theft is a common experience for immigrant workers, as documented in a book by Chicagoan Kim Bobo, and especially since the economic crisis many have felt powerless to complain or look for other work.

But this afternoon, Chicagoans will accompany Brito to the butcher shop on the city’s northwest side to demand his wages. A press release from the Arise Chicago Workers Center says:

Mr. Brito was paid less than the minimum wage for most of his years working there. The worker is only asking for $7,570, the amount owed for his last three years of employment. Last week, the employer reneged on his commitment to pay Mr. Brito the full back wages.

The butcher shop is in the Albany Park neighborhood, an extremely diverse neighborhood home to many immigrants from Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. Its streets are lined with small businesses owned and operated by immigrant families and their descendants, the butcher shop being one of them.

The dynamics may be different in fighting wage theft or other abuses at such small, family-run outlets as opposed to major corporations…but advocates point out that violations of labor law and exploitation of immigrant workers is no less a crime and injustice in such situations.

Brito said:

He's holding on to and saving this money, and meanwhile, I am supporting my wife here, and my parents and two children in Mexico. We have not been able to buy a car, a house, or save any money for the future or in order to take care of ourselves in retirement.

FULL story at link.

[Angry Dragon]

1. The owner should be charged with a felony and arrested

[mopinko]

2. steve, i love your reports.

and i hope that butcher shop is completely boycotted. too bad i don't live in that neighborhood. if i had been a patron there he would have a huge piece of my mind.

[patrice]

3. Too bad there isn't an honest butcher to move into the area. Wonder who else is getting cheated. nt