Sen. Espaillat leads the way in protecting workers' rights by cracking down on exploitative employment agencies

New York Times: Despite City Crackdown, Immigrants Still Are Often Cheated by Job Agencies

By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ

Published: May 15, 2011

 From the article:

Some state lawmakers are proposing legislation to increase fines against employment agencies to $500, from $100, for each day a violation continues, and to make it a misdemeanor to accumulate three or more violations in a five-year span.

State Senator Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat who has sponsored a bill requiring employment agencies to prominently post information about the rights of applicants, said many immigrants did not know where to turn for help. In Washington Heights, Mr. Espaillat said, he has noticed a new scheme: agencies that arrange work and transportation for immigrants but withhold their paychecks. “They’re taking advantage of folks that don’t know their rights,” said Mr. Espaillat, who represents parts of Manhattan and the Bronx. “It’s very dehumanizing.”

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