|
Community Justice Project |
|
Improving the Lives of Low Income Pennsylvanians |
|
Harrisburg Office 118 Locust St. Harrisburg, PA 17101 (717) 236-9486 (phone) (717) 233-4088 (fax) 1-800-322-7572 (toll free)
Pittsburgh Office Suite 1705 429 Forbes Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (412) 434-6002 (phone) (412) 434-5706 (fax) 1-866-482-3076 (toll free)
Hispanic Outreach Offices (Ayuda en Espańol)
Pittsburgh Suite 1705 429 Forbes Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (412) 434-6176 (office) (412) 715-1750 (cell) (412) 434-5706 (fax)
Reading c/o Centro Hispano 501 Washington St. Reading, PA 19601 (610) 741-7995 (phone) (610) 372-2619 (fax)
Hazleton 2 East Broad Street Room 204 Hazleton, PA 18201 (570) 582-5816 (phone) (570) 459-5815 (fax)
|
|
Employment |
|
CJP addresses systemic issues faced by unemployed, low wage and immigrant workers by:
|
|
· Challenging practices which prevent unemployed workers from securing unemployment benefits and displaced worker training · Stopping abusive employment practices that affect immigrant, temporary, and low wage (contingent) workers · Helping undocumented workers obtain fair pay. |
|
Litigation |
|
Villagomez, et al v. Basciani Decorators;
Filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Plaintiff alleges that the defendant failed to pay its hourly workers time and one half for hours they worked over forty in a workweek, violating both the Fair Labor Standards Act and Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act. Rule 23 class claims were brought under state law. Copies of the complaint can be obtained from Larry Norton at CJP’s Harrisburg Office.
Machado v. G&G Poultry, et al.
In Machado v. G&G Poultry, et al., filed in Berks County Court of Common Pleas, Plaintiff filed class claims under the state minimum wage act, alleging that most hourly workers were paid in cash at a rate of $6.00 per hour for more than a year after Pennsylvania’s minimum wage increased to $7.15. Copies of the complaint can be obtained from Larry Norton at CJP’s Harrisburg Office.
Guerrero et al. v. International Bedding Corporation (IBC).
This Middle District of PA class action was filed on behalf of workers in mattress manufacturing plants in eight states and seeks overtime pay for production bonus earnings for more than seven hundred people. One hundred and sixty workers opted to join the lawsuit. A class action was also filed in state court in Schuylkill County to recover overtime pay for Pennsylvania class members under the Pennsylvania minimum and overtime wage law. Both cases have now been resolved through settlement, which is subject to a confidentiality agreement that restricts discussion of the settlement terms.
Luklam et al. v Creekside Mushroom (Western District PA 2007).
In this case CJP represented a class of Thai agricultural workers who came to Western Pennsylvania to harvest mushrooms. This case was brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act to obtain wages which the workers were owed. Case was settled and payments made to the class.
Ramirez v. Li (WD Pa 2005)
In this case, brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act, CJP is representing a group of immigrant workers who were not paid minimum wages for their work. Case settled favorably to workers.
Hampe, et al v. Secretary of Department of Labor and Industry and Department of Labor.
This litigation challenged the policies of Pennsylvania’s Dept. of Labor and Industry and the Federal Dept. of Labor which denied statutorily authorized travel allowances to dislocated workers participating in re-training programs under the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. As a result of this litigation, the L&I and DOL revised their policies and began to pay the travel allowances sought by the plaintiffs. Hampe v Butler, 364 F3d 90 (3rd Cir 2004) |