Secretary of Labor to local outdoor workers: "Under federal law, you are protected"
MIAMI - Some of the men and women who work in South Florida nurseries met Wednesday with acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.
"They talked about working under extreme heat, denied of the basic protections: water, sanitary bathrooms," Su said in a one-on-one interview in Miami Gardens, after meeting with outdoor workers in Homestead.
"We want to know that we're not alone... Please listen to organizations who speak on our behalf," said Sandra Ascencio, who has worked in nurseries for over 10 years. She was referring to WeCount - an advocacy organization which most of its members are immigrant workers.
"We want all workers in America to know that the laws apply to them regardless of where they came from," responded Su when hearing Ascensio's comments.
"They should not experience wage theft, they should be guaranteed the ability to go home healthy and safe at the end of the day and they have a right to report violations to us (Dept. of Labor) and that we will enforce those laws," said Su after hearing the frustrations of some of the workers who say that for years they haven't been heard.
On Monday, the five Miami-Dade County commissioners on the community health committee voted 4 to 1 in favor of a bill that would require construction and agriculture companies with five or more employees to have water and shaded breaks on hot days.
But it's not a done deal yet, the main sponsor of the bill, Commissioner Kionne McGhee warned the bill could change in response to pressure from lobbyists in the construction and agriculture industries.
"To those employers who've decided that is cheaper to break the law or that the chances of getting caught are really slim, we want to be clear that the Department of Labor is on the job and we are going to enforce the laws," ended up saying acting Secretary of Labor, Julie Sue during her interview with CBS News Miami.
