Lawmakers want fines for companies that coerce workers over immigration status. • New Jersey Monitor

Immigrant workers are more reluctant to speak out about workplace injustices, report injuries, or cooperate with investigations for fear of disclosing their immigration status to authorities.

Now, a new bill would allow the state to impose heavy fines on employers who threaten to use their employees’ immigration status against them during labor disputes. An example would be if a boss threatens to tell authorities that an employee has come to the country illegally in order to pressure that employee not to report the employer for paying less than the minimum wage.

“No worker should be forced to turn a blind eye to their employer’s unlawful conduct for fear of being prosecuted because of their immigration status,” Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) said in a statement.

Companies found to have exploited their workers based on their immigration status can face fines of up to $1,000 for the first violation, up to $5,000 for the second, and up to $10,000 for any subsequent violations.

The fines are in addition to any fines related to violations of state labor laws.

But the bill is not enough for immigrant advocates who want to see greater enforcement of existing laws and more severe consequences. Erik Cruz Morales of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice said the bill is just a small first step toward addressing a larger problem.

Morales said New Jersey should consider revoking business licenses from companies with multiple labor law violations. Even a $10,000 fine could be a slap on the wrist for companies bringing in millions of dollars, he noted.

Lawmakers should also look at strengthening the law against discrimination to cover immigration status discrimination, Morales said.

Morales said many immigrant workers are afraid to file complaints against their employers for violating existing law — for example, by paying less than the state’s $15.13 minimum wage — let alone being sued for violating it. of a new law related to their immigration status.

“People are avoiding interacting with the government or filing a case, we’ve heard from people. They say: ‘I have no papers, what rights do I have in this country? “I just stay quiet and get my $12 an hour, even if it’s $15,” he said.

New Jersey is home to more than 2 million residents born outside the country and an estimated 440,000 undocumented immigrants, according to the Institute for Migration Policy.

Although undocumented workers are protected by federal labor laws to prevent discrimination and are entitled to worker rights such as breaks, minimum wage and overtime, their immigration status often discourages them from challenging unfair treatment in the workplace, according to researchers at the University of Chicago. They found that undocumented workers are at greater risk of discrimination and exploitation in the workplace.

Ruiz said the bill would protect workers’ rights and “hold companies accountable for exploitative behavior.” The bill would help workers regardless of their immigration status, she said.

It came out of the Senate Labor Committee unanimously without discussion on Monday. The companion bill still needs to be voted on in the Assembly Labor Committee.