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Our work conditions were wrong. We put in 12-hour days. Once, we worked 25 hours straight. When we got breaks, they were very short. We had to eat quickly next to the food stand, then get back to work.
Our living conditions were wrong. We were housed in trailers meant for five people, but the boss put up to 10 of us in each. We had to share single beds. Often, the trailers didn’t have access to electricity or water.
We weren’t told our wages for weeks, and we weren’t paid regularly. The pay wasn’t right for the long hours or our conditions.
Here’s the worst part:
When you realize you’re being mistreated as an immigrant worker, you don’t know how to help yourself. You’re in a place you don’t know. You’re always moving. You can’t communicate in the local language. I felt more and more lost.
When my co-workers started complaining, the boss punished us all.
It was only when a worker got sick from the food — and the boss refused to seek medical attention — that we got help. My co-worker took himself to a hospital. When he couldn’t pay, a social worker asked questions and alerted the authorities.
That’s how we eventually left our trafficking situation, and the case went to court.
My story shows: The worker visa program must be reformed. I’m sharing my story with you, and partnering with Polaris, to create change. We need to gather more research and advocate — while also helping workers identify red flags and know their rights. We’re bringing attention to the problem through the media.
Survivors are the true experts on what’s happening and how to stop it. We need your help.
People make the biggest sacrifices when they don’t see any choice. They’re afraid to raise their voices. Immigrant workers get belittled when we come here. Bosses think that our need to work will bend us and keep us quiet.
That’s how abuse happens.
But I want you to know, you can change things. You can stop labor trafficking.
Thank you,
José Luis Olmos Rodríguez
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