Harold Schlechtweg: Labor violations aren’t new

The Eagle has been running a series this week reporting on the harm suffered by workers and taxpayers as a result of the violation of labor and tax laws. This is an old story for those of us who live in Wichita’s blue-collar neighborhoods.

My most recent experience with the injustice of “misclassification” of workers occurred, ironically, on the day before Labor Day. I was in the Walgreens pharmacy at Central and West looking for an over-the-counter allergy medication. I noticed a Hispanic gentleman in the same aisle looking at the pain medications. He seemed puzzled. Because I have some training in first aid, I asked if I could help.

The man spoke very little English but explained that he had only recently come to Wichita to find work. He was hurt on the job two days earlier, he said, showing me his foot, which was very swollen. He was looking for something that would stop the swelling.

He said his employer did not have insurance. He did not have workers’ compensation. He received pay and that was it. In other words, he is a “contract worker” – or was, in his case, because his employer told him he didn’t need him anymore if he couldn’t work.

I took him to the checkout and borrowed a telephone book from the clerk. I wrote down the phone numbers and addresses of Hunter Health Clinic and Guadalupe Clinic. Afterward, I could have kicked myself for not at least suggesting he go to a hospital emergency room. I should have also told him about Sunflower Community Action’s Worker Justice Center.

Maybe the reason I didn’t was because I was so angry I could hardly see straight.

I am glad McClatchy Newspapers are highlighting the federal government’s failure to police the stimulus program for adherence to federal labor laws. But we should also look closer to home and demand the same vigilance from our state government and the city of Wichita.

During his last campaign, Mayor Carl Brewer bragged about how the Wichita City Council eliminated more than 60 jobs in the city’s park maintenance department. That work is still being done, only now it is being done by private companies. I believe, as do many city employees, that these private companies employ contract labor and routinely cheat their employees.

So 66 jobs that pay a living wage, with health insurance and a pension, are flushed down the toilet in the name of saving the taxpayers money. I pay income, property and sales tax, and I would gladly pay a few dollars more if that is what it takes to see that workers are treated fairly. It shouldn’t always be about saving money.

This story was originally published September 10, 2014 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Harold Schlechtweg: Labor violations aren’t new."