In the summer of 2011, warehouse workers expressed concerns to Cal/OSHA about unsafe working conditions and faced threats from employers regarding their immigration status. Ellen Widess, then-director of Cal/OSHA, worked to prevent an immigration crackdown. However, she expressed skepticism about the likelihood of support under the current administration, particularly under Trump, who intensified deportation efforts. Experts warn that the fear of deportation could deter workers from reporting safety hazards, thus endangering workplace safety and health. California's labor laws still protect all workers, regardless of their immigration status, emphasizing safety and confidentiality in reporting.
"Workers are the canaries," said Debbie Berkowitz, a Georgetown University fellow and former federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration official under President Obama. "We need them to speak up if there are issues so that you prevent a pandemic. And nobody's going to speak up because they're scared that the company will call ICE."
Widess said she phoned federal officials and implored them to avert any immigration crackdown while workers were raising the alarm about unsafe conditions. It worked, she said.
President Trump has vowed to carry out mass deportations and rolled back a federal policy that restricted immigration agents from arresting people in hospitals, churches and schools.
The California Department of Industrial Relations, which includes Cal/OSHA, said in a statement that 'no worker should feel intimidated or afraid to exercise their rights.'
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