Latino Workers Live in a Labor System that Puts Them at Risk

Diego Barahona A.

According to the latest official figures, although Latinos represent about 10% of North Carolina’s population, they suffered almost a third (31.7%) of all fatal workplace accidents. This disparity is much more evident in industries such as construction. Is progress being made to protect the lives of our workers?

Of the state’s 63 work-related deaths in 2022, around 20 victims were Latino-- 17 Latino men and three Latina women died. The age range of these workers was 19 to 73 years old, according to data from the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL).

Half of these workers’ deaths occurred in construction. More specifically, falls were the top incident leading to fatalities among Latino workers. The saddest thing of all is that many of these fatalities could have been avoided.

With all this information available, what are the authorities doing to prevent these tragedies? The answer seems to be: not enough.

Latinos vs. an indifferent labor system

Unfortunately, North Carolina is not known for being a state that protects its workers, especially Latinos-- much less if they are immigrants, even those working in essential industries. The laws are designed to protect the profits of companies, even at the cost of the dignity or integrity of their workers.

Regarding dignity, companies in the state are not required to give their employees vacations, and not even a moment for them to go to the bathroom or have lunch; this depends on the benevolence of the employer. In addition, the state minimum wage continues to be an insulting $7.25 an hour.

Regarding the safety of workers, the authorities trust that companies “do the right thing” because there are very few safety inspectors who actually check the worksites.

NCDOL currently has about 105 officials conducting inspections for the entire state. A North Carolina Justice Center report estimated that it would take more than 100 years for that number of inspectors to visit each workplace. Of these 105 inspectors, only 11 speak Spanish.

Laughable and delayed sanctions

But what happens if a company does not “do the right thing” and one of its workers dies due to its negligence? Next to nothing. In cases of workplace deaths, authorities issued an average fine of $4,100, which is 75% less than the national average, according to the North Carolina Justice Center.

Of course, the money from those fines does not go to the workers’ families. Whether a family receives financial assistance will depend on workers’ compensation insurance. When it comes down to it, some will need to hire a lawyer and be very patient, as these cases can take months to be resolved.

Clearly, the families of construction, forestry, transportation, factory, and farm workers do not always have the resources or knowledge to navigate a system designed to go after them, especially if they are immigrants.

It is essential to reformulate our outdated labor laws, increase the minimum wage, and invest in more efficient ways to inspect workplaces; in short, we need to take care of those who are building North Carolina’s present and future: its workers.

Presidente Alvaro Gurdián

Directora

Hilda H. Gurdián

Vice Presidente Alvaro Gurdián Jr.

Editor Diego Barahona A. dbarahona@lanoticia.com

Reporteros

Kayla Young

Eileen Rodríguez

Yuliana Montiel

Jeralí Giménez

Jonathan Hernandez

Apolo Valdés

Emmanuel Gutierrez

Daniel González

Karole Pelcastre Avilez

Escritores/Colaboradores

Mae Lynn Reyes-Rodríguez, Ph.D.

Dr. Mike Walden

Dr. Carlos Cruz

Patricia Huerta

Gustavo Cruz

Marcos Andón

Ernesto Maradiaga

Fotos/Video

Rodrigo Gaudenzi

José Félix Sánchez

Traducción Kendal Walters

Ventas

Rosario Herrera Gerente de Ventas Sector Latino 704-965-9443 rherrera@lanoticia.com

Directora de Arte María E. Benton

Diseño Douglas Herrera

Director de Informática Alvaro Gurdián Jr.

Administración

Alejandrina Rosales

Director de Circulación Alvaro Gurdián

Distribución

Leopoldo Rodríguez

La Noticia

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