Immigrant detainees in California win key workplace safety settlement
This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.
Set us as preferred In 2023, California regulators levied more than $100,000 in fines against the private operator of a federal immigration facility, kicking off a three-year battle over whether detainees who do work at the facilities should be considered employees.The question went beyond semantics: If considered employees, the detainees would be subject to state worker protection laws.A legal settlement announced this week now affirms that private immigrant detention facilities are subject to California’s workplace safety and health requirements.“Every worker deserves a safe and healthy workplace and should be able to report workplace hazards without fear of retaliation,” said Denisse Gómez, spokesperson for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health or Cal/OSHA.
“Individuals who perform work in these facilities are entitled to workplace safety protections, and this settlement reinforces Cal/OSHA’s commitment to enforcing those protections and safeguarding vulnerable workers,” she added.Politics The purchase comes as the Department of Homeland Security has moved to scale up its capacity to detain immigrants without relying as heavily on private prison corporations.Under the settlement between California and the GEO Group, a Florida-based private prison company, the company recently withdrew its legal challenges and agreed to pay more than $100,000 in the fines.
The Department of Homeland Security and the GEO Group did not respond to requests for comment.Back in 2023, Cal/OSHA issued $104,510 in fines against the GEO Group.
The agency had found six violations of state code by the company after detainees complained about a lack of protective equipment and proper training while cleaning the facility for $1 per day.Detainees alleged they routinely wiped black mold off shower walls at the facility, ...