Even when workers feel physically unsafe, Kaoosji said, they may fail to speak up, due to fears about job security. When that happens, he said, “preventative tactics like breaks, cooling down, drinking water, don’t happen.”
“We’re only seeing the beginning. People are suffering silently.”
— Mar Velez, policy director at the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
Itzel — a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy whose family lives in Long Beach — has seen the same patterns among her co-workers in the landscaping industry.
“They wanna get to the job site early and they want to leave as early as they can,” she said. “They’re not taking their breaks. … They’re not taking their lunches.” When they do, it’s often for 30 minutes or less, with many choosing to eat behind closed gates rather than under the shade of a tree if it means they can remain better hidden.
Read the full article Los Angeles Times
