Worker Clinics: a $10K win and more

During the past six months, CCI members have been busy informing, engaging and mobilizing workers; workers are learning how they can organize to reclaim their rights.In the past four months alone, over 50 community members have attended the worker clinics. As a result, workers have secured some big wins:

• Nereida of Des Moines, IA won back over $10,000 in unpaid wages for her family. After attending a clinic, Nereida worked with her coworkers to develop an organizing plan -- after countless letters, calls, and an action, Nereida and her team won back over $10,000 in stolen wages. Since the win, Nereida joins fellow members at the Statehouse to lobby for legislation that cracks down on wage theft.

• Yik of Perry, IA won back over $700 in compensation for hospital bills that his employer Tyson hadn't paid following an accidental injury on the job. Additionally, Yik was able to negotiate his schedule with Tyson. Yik has two jobs, and as a result, cannot work at Tyson on the weekends when he's scheduled to work elsewhere. Tyson had initially threatened to fire him if he was unable to work weekends, but Yik was able to negotiate otherwise. Yik says he plans to stay engaged in organizing for worker justice work because he sees "how badly some workers in the Latino community are treated, but many are too scared to speak out."

Iowa CCI's worker rights program hosts worker clinics the 4th Monday of each month.Community members come to our worker clinics to fight:

• wage theft,

• discrimination at their workplace,

• health and/or safety violations at work, or

• other issues related to their rights in the workplace.