The Colony Courier-Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 33, No. 33, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 28, 2014 Page: 6 of 12
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6A starlocalmedia.com
The Colony Courier-Leader
Sunday, September 28,2014
Low-wage fight
Nonprofit helps workers stand up against abuse
CHRIS Beattie
cbeattie@starlocalmedia.com
of monetarily and otherwise, more than $7 million in dam- percent of EJC cases, with
believes it’s just beginning the ages and unpaid wages for restaurant workers coming in
With the influx of immigra- work necessary to eradicate an workers over the past 11 years, at about 25 percent, Cowles es-
tion into Texas and resulting abusive landscape.
according to Cowles. The non- timated. Janitorial workers
low-wage employment on the “Wage theft is rampant here profit started in Austin before make up most of the rest.
rise, a nonprofit that fights for in Texas,” said Michael Cowles, opening an office in San Anto- EJC has represented more _ _
workers’ rights is expanding an attorney with EJC’s Dallas nio, then in Dallas about two than 130 workers in the region AHTPYM 33
across the state, particularly in office. “A lot of people are years ago. and has recovered or is in the o -
the Metroplex. falling through the cracks and It handles cases involving process of recovering more =—-===__eese-H
Equal Justice Center (EJC), live in a different reality, where all work-related abuses, such than $300,000, according to FILE PHOTo
which provides free legal serv- there’s nothing more than just as wage theft and sexual ha- EJC figures. “We’ve really just One in five construction workers in Texas has suffered some form of wage
ices to low-wage workers getting by.” rassment. Construction work- begun to scratch the surface,” thett.
who’ve been taken advantage The EJC has recovered ers represent about 30 to 35 Cowles said. broadcast Garduno’s story and and help people who need it,”
Wage theft occurs when em- referred him to EJC, which re- said Serrano, who spent time
ployers don’t pay workers their covered his wages, with EJC’s clinic in Austin. “I’m
promised wages or avoid pay- "I think that was a lesson for back now and excited to do it.”
Automotive Center Vista Ridge
2788 MacArthur Blvd.
www.KwikKarVistaRidge.com
Mon-Fri: 8:00 am-6:00 pm
Sat: 8:00 am-5:00 pm
Sun: 10:00 am-3:00 pm
214-488-7737
Owner- Ray Bowens
Thank you Jon Voting e
Hlcmubenr One 4 Veans in a noeul
"READERS'
choice
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HARVEST CRAFT BAZAAR
October 4, 2014 • 9am to 4pm
4901 Paige Road, The Colony
ing them at all, pay them less the guy who didn’t pay me,” Workers and their families
than the minimum wage ($7.25 Garduno said. “I don’t think he aren’t the only sufferers of
per hour in federal standards), is taking advantage of people wage theft, either. In Texas,
and cheat workers out of over- anymore.” wage theft results in more than
time pay. It violates state and Many employers still do, $117 million in lost wages and
federal employment law, and though. They intimidate undoc- $8.8 million in lost sales tax
perpetrators face criminal umented workers by threaten- revenue; payroll fraud results
charges punishable by prison ing to tell authorities of their in an estimated $54.5 million in
time, yet it’s still rampant, illegal status, and use that as lost unemployment insurance
One in five construction leverage for below-minimum tax revenue and even more in
workers in Texas has suffered wages. An Economic Policy In- federal income tax, according
some form of wage theft, and stitution (EPI) analysis in 2011 to the “Build a Better Texas”
only about 25 percent of work- showed that about 1.1 million report.
ers reported earning a wage _
that enabled them to support
their family, according to "I've been promis-
"Build a Better Texas," a Work- ing for a long time
ers Defense Project report 9 1 U 199
from January 2013. Re- I would come back
searchers for the study sur- and Li people
veyed thousands of workers in C P P
Texas cities with the greatest who need it."
amount of construction work. — Gonzalo Serrano,
Construction accounts for Equal Justice Center
Stolen labor factored in to
contract bids drives them down
and undercuts honest employ-
ers who can’t match them. And
it’s not just in construction and
small-time business owners.
EJC has sued large companies
like Wal-Mart and Target that
have contracted out janitorial
and other services, Cowles
said.
“Big companies subcontract
to insulate themselves from
more than 5 percent of the
state’s economic output, and
Texas is pacing the industry na- unauthorized immigrants any kind of legal behavior,” he
tionwide, but most of its work- make up nearly 10 percent of said. “We’re going to be seeing
ers are benefiting least. Nearly the Texas workforce. more and more of that.”
all job growth in construction Gonzalo Serrano, a fellow The EJC represents people
has been in jobs paying with EJC-Dallas, followed a at 200 percent of the poverty
poverty-level wages, according passion to his new position. A line and below - a population
to the report. 2003 graduate of McKinney increasing daily in D-FW. The
When payment comes, it’s High School, he was the first in center plans to also educate
often through a flat day rate his family to go to college. He and train workers how to avoid
that doesn’t account for all grew up in the immigrant com- abuse and stand up for their
hours worked, Cowles said, munity and achieved a degree rights.
Some never get paid at all, and from University of Texas Law Garduno said he’s longer
many get paid well below what School while spending time afraid to fight back legally
they’re owed: Of 80 percent of with EJC in Austin. when needed, thanks to EJC.
respondents in the report who He recently received a fel- Those like him could move the
worked more than 40 hours a lowship funded by Equal Jus- state and country away from
week, almost halfsaid they did- tice Works and sponsored by workplace abuse and mistreat-
n’t get overtime pay. the Texas Access to Justice ment.
Onecimo Garduno, a client Foundation that enabled him “The problem is going to get
of EJC's, was owed money for to return to the Metroplex and worse before it gets better,”
remodeling work he did at a put his passion to work. Cowles said. “Ideally, from the
Dallas-area apartment. Tele- “I’ve been promising for a day we set out, we wanted to
mundo, a Spanish TV station, long time I would come back put ourselves out of ajob.”
MIYS 16AIS * PIHARUS — -
Brought to you by United Methodist Women
Proceeds benefit local & community missions
First United
Methodist Church
THE C O L O N Y , T X
972-625-1281
FUMCTC.org
RE/MAX DFW Associates
Welcomes The Bradshaw Team
RE/MAX DFW Associates is
pleased to welcome the Bradshaw
Team to their Flower Mound office.
Donna Bradshaw associated with
the company in 2007 and has be-
come a top producing agent and
well-respected in the real estate
community. Matthew Bradshaw is
joining her as a Buyer’s Specialist
and together they have created the
Bradshaw Team. Specializing in lux-
ury residential properties, the Brad-
shaw Team is looking forward to
offering unsurpassed real estate
services to families across the Dal-
las-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Matthew spoke excitedly about
joining the office by saying, “My
mother has been a RE/MAX agent
for many years and real estate had
piqued my interest for some time. I
am looking forward to joining with
her to create our own team of dedi-
cated professionals." Donna noted,
“I have a great admiration for Mark
Wolfe, President of RE/MAX DFW
Associates, and the utmost respect
for each person in this office. The
sense of honesty and integrity that
this company promotes and the rep-
utation that has been built is the
cornerstone of its success. This firm
also encourages a sense of personal,
professional and social responsibil-
ity. Matthew and I have a passion
and commitment to making a differ-
ence, and I believe the Bradshaw
Team can offer value to the real es-
tate market by serving our clients
with honesty, reliability and in-
tegrity.”
“Donna has worked from the be-
ginning of her real estate career to
make the process of buying and sell-
ing a home easy and enjoyable,"
DONNA BRADSHAW
MATTHEW BRADSHAW
noted Mark Wolfe, President of
RE/MAX DFW Associates. “She is a
dedicated professional and I am
proud to see that her business is ex-
panding to add Matthew to her
group. You can expect The Brad-
shaw Team to offer their clients pro-
fessional and expert representation
and be on top of the ever-changing
trends in the housing market. We
are pleased to have the Bradshaw
Team associated with our growing
firm and look forward to a long and
prosperous career at RE/MAX DFW
Associates.”
Originally from Illinois, Donna
has lived in the Dallas area for over
30 years. She and her husband,
Craig, reside in Lakeside DFW in
Flower Mound. Matthew grew up in
the DFW area and his knowledge of
the area will be beneficial to the
Team’s clients during their home
search. Although just commencing
his career in the real estate indus-
try, Matthew will rely strongly on
the organizational skills, multi-task-
ing abilities and communication
skills he developed in his former oc-
cupation as a production manager.
RE/MAX DFW Associates has
been in operation for more than 30
years and today is the largest RE/MAX
franchise in Texas. The firm has seven
offices: Coppell, Dallas, Flower
Mound, Frisco, Las Colinas, Plano and
Willow Bend. The firm’s over 330
agents are projected to close a record
$1.6 billion in 2014. RE/MAX DFW As-
sociates is part of the world-wide
RE/MAX network in 95 countries and
95,000+ agents.
The Bradshaw Team can be con-
tacted at the Flower Mound office of
RE/MAX DFW Associates. Call Donna
at 214.734.8125 or via email at
donnab@rmdfw.com; call Matthew at
972.355.3597 or via email at
matthew.bradshaw@rmdfw.com.
They can assist with any listing in the
North Texas Regional MLS System, as
well as any of the firm’s active listings,
which can be viewed at
www.YourHomeTownPro.com.
Paid advertisement
Cleanup:
Participants asked to bring
in nonperishable food items
From PAGE ONE would consider a collection mation.”
than 500 residents take advan- drive for the fall cleanup, so we Entry to the Fall Clean-Up
tage of the spring event, decided to try it,” Gilman said, will be off of Memorial Drive
This year the city partnered Gilman also said residents using the east entrance to
with Metro Relief to include a will be given a reusable canvas Hawaiian Falls. There will be
food drive with the cleanup, bag filled with information no entry to the event off of
Residents may bring in non- from various city departments. Paige Road. Residents are en-
perishable food items for col- “We’ll give out information couraged to follow the signs
lection. Additional signage at including new city codes and and direction of city staff to ex-
the event will alert drivers to other information,” Gilman pedite unloading. No one will
the location for dropping off said. “If you’ve lived here fora be allowed into the line after
food donations, which will while, things change, and a lot noon. Because of safety con-
occur near the beginning of of residents don’t seek out new cerns, people under the age of
the line. Donations are not re- information or don’t know 18 will not be allowed in the
quired to participate in the about changes. We like to take unloading area.
cleanup.
the opportunity at the cleanup For information call 972-
“The mayor asked if we to give them the updated infor- 624-3131.
From Richard A. Seidler, D.D.S.
TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE
A s we age, not only does our skin wrinkle, but our teeth also
/darken. As the outer layer of enamel begins to wear away, the
naturally yellow dentin lying beneath it is revealed. Although we
cannot prevent this sign of aging from occurring, we can take steps to minimize it. The
first such step involves visiting the dentist at least twice a year for professional cleanings
to remove stains caused by smoking, coffee, red wine, berries, and other highly pigmented
foods. Beyond that, professional tooth whitening can help increase the wattage of your
smile. This process works best on teeth that have become yellowed. Tooth whitening may
not work as well to improve teeth with a grayish or brownish tinge.
Whitening your teeth is considered to be one of the safest cosmetic dental procedures
available. We believe that making your smile the best it can be will go a long way in im-
proving your quality of life. At the office of RICHARD SEIDLER, DD.S. - FAMILY
DENTISTRY, we are currently accepting new patients and welcome you to call
972.625.2222 to schedule your appointment. We’re located at 5000 Main Street at South
Colony Boulevard, Suite 206, The Colony, where you will be pleased with our “personal
touch” philosophy and our dedication to your complete dental health. Most dental insurance
accepted.
P.S. If you use anti-wrinkle cream and/or have
resorted to skin-rejuvenation procedures, you
should have your teeth professionally whitened to
match the youthful look of your skin.
972.625.2222
www.DrRichardSeidler.com
Richard A.
D.D.S.
Family Dentistry Since 1984
Watch for informative Dental Insights every week.
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Aldaz, Gina. The Colony Courier-Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 33, No. 33, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 28, 2014, newspaper, September 28, 2014; Plano, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1622287/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Colony Public Library.