An ongoing investigation into the wage and hour practices of a Massachusetts cleaning company that employs a primarily immigrant workforce has revealed numerous violations, including workers not being paid for all hours worked and being required to pay fees to obtain jobs. The investigation, which began in June 2022, has found that the company attempted to shield itself from liability by forming another company in the name of its Operations Manager’s wife and did not keep track of hours and wage payments made. Officials feared that hundreds of victims would not be able to testify due to their legal status, but a recent update to the Department of Homeland Security’s Deferred Action Program now allows noncitizen workers four years of protection against deportation instead of two. This extension was spearheaded by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who emphasized that all workers, regardless of immigration status, deserve protection from workplace violations. The investigation has relied on the testimony of the primarily immigrant workforce to prove violations and calculate restitution owed. A letter co-written by Campbell and other officials requests an expansion of deferred action to support vulnerable workers nationwide. This victory is seen as a step towards empowering workers to assert their rights and seek justice in the face of unjust workplace practices.
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