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1. Contractor verification begins
2. Labor Dept to focus on wages
3. Labor Day gives rise to protests
4. Activists urge Census boycott
5. Ethnic press thrives in CA

1.
Worker Status Checks to Start
Federal Contractors Required to Use Electronic System to Verify Employees' Eligibility
By Cam Simpson
The Wall Street Journal, September 8, 2009

Washington, DC -- Agencies across the federal government on Tuesday will start ordering contractors to use an electronic system to verify whether their employees are eligible to work in the U.S.

The sweeping new mandate, crafted by the Bush White House but being implemented by the Obama administration, represents a significant expansion for the so-called E-Verify system, which government officials and independent experts expect to eventually become mandatory for private employers. Already, some states require companies operating within their borders to use it, regardless of whether the companies have government contracts.

Army Corps of Engineers officials oversee work on a floodgate in New Orleans in May. Contractors for the Corps and all other federal agencies will soon have to use the E-Verify system to check employees' eligibility to work in the U.S.

About 169,000 federal contractors and subcontractors, who employ roughly 3.8 million workers, will eventually be covered by the program taking effect Tuesday.

U.S. District Court Judge Alexander Williams Jr. rejected an 11th-hour-effort late Friday by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups to delay the mandate while a federal appeal is pending. Upset about the liability the mandate puts on employers, the groups suing argue it is illegal for the government to extend E-Verify to contractors through an executive order. The Chamber argues that given the state of the economy, this isn't the time to add more costs to U.S. businesses.

Judge Williams had in August dismissed a lawsuit by the groups seeking to have the program thrown out after the Justice Department fought to keep it intact. The Obama administration is using the program as part of its efforts to shift the emphasis in immigration enforcement by focusing on employers.

Attorneys for the Chamber and the other groups filed an emergency motion for an injunction Friday night with the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. They are trying to delay Tuesday's implementation, arguing in part that employers would face irreparable financial harm if the mandate takes effect but later gets tossed out. The court hadn't ruled on the request as of Monday afternoon.

Under the mandate, a clause requiring contractors and subcontractors to use the government's E-Verify system will be written into every new or renewed government contract starting Tuesday. It will also be written into every new work order issued under existing contracts, officials say. It will be up to government agencies that issue the contracts to enforce the mandate.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125236773673291025.html

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2.
After years of cutbacks, labor department to add hundreds of wage inspectors nationwide
By Manuel Valdes
The Associated Press, September 6, 2009

Seattle (AP) -- Bob Blank's frustration is evident when he talks about an inspection of his Okanogan County farm by U.S. Department of Labor wage inspectors.

"These people absolutely appeared to be bent on not helping, but fining the farms," Blank said. "The problem I have with that, in my case, it's the first time you show up in 35 years, and you tell me 'fines.' I'm gonna get (irritated) about that. You're not working with me. You're working against me."

In late June, the inspectors came to his apple and pear orchard in central Washington, surveyed his paperwork and the housing for his two dozen workers.

Even though the state labor department had given his farm a clean bill of health in recent years, the federal inspectors told him he would be fined. Blank, 71, said he became angry and worred when a fellow Okanogan County farmer received a $10,000 fine. In August, he finally got the letter saying he was being penalized for failing to "ensure housing safety and health" and had 30 days to pay the $5,225 fine.

"They don't tell me specifically what the problem is and no time frame to correct it," Blank said. "The question arises: Has this really anthing to do with safety for workers?"

The number of inspections by the U.S. Department of Labor are expected to increase after President Barack Obama earmarked $30 million in his budget for the department to hire an additional 288 front line wage inspectors nationwide.

The new inspectors are welcomed by labor advocates, but they're a cautionary development for employers.

"After the last 8 years, where inspectors all but disappeared at the federal level, we definitely welcome appropriating more money," said Erik Nicholson of the United Farmworkers of America. "We called those the dark ages — pretty much dead for eight years in terms of enforcement."

However, prior to the ramp-up, federal labor inspectors collected about $67,000 in back wages for 400 agricultural workers in Washington state in 2008, according to the department. Violations of housing codes and failure to disclose wages were some of the violations found. With six additional federal inspectors, the state will have 19 by year's end.

The inspectors will target low-wage industries that employ vulnerable workers, such as minors, recent immigrants who may be reluctant to complain, employees misclassified as independent contractors and disabled employees, said Jeannine Lupton, spokeswoman for the labor department in Seattle.

That means farms, hotels, restaurants and other industries that typically employ those workers will be scrutinized by the department.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-wage-inspe...

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3.
Stop deportations, marchers urge at immigration rally
About 2,000 at event, seek change to 'broken system'
By David Roeder
The Chicago Sun Times, September 8, 2009

With most of Washington concentrating on economic policies and health care, reforming immigration isn't a priority. Marchers at an immigration rights rally Monday in Chicago hope to change that and called on President Obama and Congress to act or face political trouble at election time.

The march from the Near West Side culminated in a rally at Federal Plaza downtown, where speakers demanded that Obama end deportations that bust families. Longer term, they want Congress to legalize undocumented workers and their families currently in the United States.

The Labor Day crowd of about 2,000 people was smaller than those in past immigration rallies. But the feelings remained strong, with the deportation issue eliciting sadness and anger.

Among the marchers was Rosa Perez of Pilsen, who said her husband was deported in February as he attempted to get a green card. Through an interpreter, Perez said the government's action has caused hardship for herself and her six children.

Her 17-year-old son, Luis, said he has dropped out of school to support the family. "My father worked at building patios. Now, my brother works and I work because we have to replace my father," he said.

"The system is broken and it's not humane," said Beatriz Sandoval of the Southwest Side, an immigration attorney. Especially unjust, she said, is the deportation of undocumented students who came to the U.S. as young children. Some don't learn their citizenship status until they apply for college, she said.
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http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1758092,CST-NWS-immig08.article

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4.
Immigration activists urge census boycott
Hope effort spurs legislation
By Maria Sacchetti
The Boston Globe, September 8, 2009

A small but vocal group of advocates is urging illegal immigrants and their supporters nationwide to boycott the 2010 Census to protest the government’s inaction on immigration legislation, a move that, if successful, could cost Massachusetts and other states millions of dollars.

The campaign is setting off alarms across the United States because census figures are crucial to determining how much federal funding cities and towns receive. A large-scale boycott, state officials and prominent pro-immigrant groups warn, could force Massachusetts to cut services from school lunch programs to highway construction, and heighten its chances of losing a seat in Congress.

But proponents say the boycott would pressure politicians to address problems illegal immigrants face every day - such as long separations from their families back home - and pursue a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s immigration system that would provide a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants.

“Legalize us before you count us,’’ Fausto da Rocha, a Brazilian immigrant leader in Boston said on a talk-radio show in Quincy last week, where callers from as far away as Brunswick, Maine, expressed support for the boycott. “Politics is about power and money, and by not giving your information, you’ll be taking away money and power from the politicians.’’

The proposed boycott - organized this spring by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, a group based in Washington that represents 20,000 churches nationwide, including 300 in Massachusetts - is stirring deep divisions among immigrant communities. It faces stiff opposition from a string of advocacy groups, including the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the Service Employees International Union, and the Brazilian Immigrant Center. To this point, the boycott effort has revolved mainly around word-of-mouth, talk radio, and blog entries by some members of participating churches.

Eliseo Medina, the SEIU’s national executive vice president, called the boycott “irresponsible,’’ and Chelsea’s city manager, Jay Ash, said it was “absolutely crazy.’’

While the boycott is a national effort, states with significant percentages of immigrants such as Massachusetts stand to lose more because of formulas that base federal funding on population. Last year, Massachusetts received $11.4 billion in federal funds, and people who shun the census could cost the state about $1,755 apiece, said Brian McNiff , spokesman for the Massachusetts secretary of state.

“It’s always disappointing to hear that any individual or organization would suggest to someone not to participate in the census when there’s so much at stake,’’ said Kathleen Ludgate, regional director for the census in Boston. “We hope that people will participate in the census so we’ll have our fair share in Boston and throughout the state.’’
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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/08/propo...

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5.
Where newspapers thrive: Orange County's Little Saigon
The enclave is home to five papers catering to Vietnamese Americans' interests - and one of them just started up this summer. Despite the economy, all are doing well.
By My-Thuan Tran
The Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2009

In a dimly lighted warehouse at the end of an alleyway in Orange County's Little Saigon, five reporters sat side by side on mismatched chairs, talking on telephones and typing away on their keyboards. There was no air conditioning, and two large fans provided little relief from the muggy air.

This was the temporary home of Viet Herald Daily News, the newest paper to hit the stands in this ethnic enclave. At a time when most U.S. newspapers are struggling to survive, Vietnamese-language news media here are flourishing.

There are four other dailies and numerous weeklies and magazines to serve the county's roughly 150,000 Vietnamese Americans. There are also several Vietnamese television broadcasting substations, as well as Little Saigon Radio (KVNR-AM 1480) and Radio Bolsa and VNCR, which share time on KALI-FM (106.3).

"Of course, there is still room in the Vietnamese community for another newspaper!" said Dzung Do, managing editor and co-founder of Viet Herald. "People want more."

Last week, Viet Herald's 15 staffers moved to a permanent office on Moran Street, a Westminster cul-de-sac where three other dailies in Little Saigon are lined up. Their new offices are squeezed between Viet Bao Daily News and Vien Dong Daily News. It's a sort of Vietnamese version of Fleet Street.

All five Vietnamese-language papers are small -- the largest, Nguoi Viet Daily News, has a circulation of 18,000 and a staff of 50. But the reach of Little Saigon's press can be seen every morning in the local coffee shops and markets that line the streets of Westminster and Garden Grove.

On a recent morning, Jimmy Thanh Kim Vu sipped Vietnamese iced coffee at a banh mi sandwich shop in Garden Grove as he flipped through the pages of Nguoi Viet and chatted with several friends. The group traded copies of all five Vietnamese dailies. (The fifth paper is Saigon Nho.)

"I have to read Vietnamese papers to know what is going on in Vietnam," said Vu, 71.

A day earlier, Vu said, he read a front-page exclusive in Nguoi Viet about the fight to reclaim from the government the Tam Toa Catholic Church in central Vietnam. The paper's reporters interviewed a priest in Vietnam for the story, giving local readers a closer look at what was happening overseas.

"I think of us as a connector," said Anh Do, vice president of Nguoi Viet. "The coverage is very intimate."

It is precisely this kind of news coverage that is responsible for the success of Vietnamese-language papers and other media targeted at certain immigrant groups, said Jeffrey Brody, a journalism professor at Cal State Fullerton.

"Basically, the ethnic press is a niche press," Brody said. "It gives the community exactly what it needs, in terms of news of its homeland and news of the community itself. You can't get that from TV or magazines from the mainstream press."
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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-outthere8-2009sep08,0,6489250.story