Racialized Latino Workers and Wage Theft: Respecting the Dignity of Day Laborers

Abstract

Conversations about immigration increasingly come up on the national and state political agenda. In 2011, the study “Acculturation, Sexuality, and Health Outcomes Among Latino Workers in the Brazos Valley” examined the health disparities within the immigrant community locally. My project is a follow-up study to the labor component to see if changes had occurred since the study was performed in 2011. The first round of results showed that wage theft and other abuses by employers continue to form the day laborers’ experience, yet they find ways to resist. The research shows that working conditions for day laborers need drastic improvement because of ongoing racism and discrimination but surprisingly they find ways to protect themselves.