NEWS

Our friends at the Bergen County Sanctuary Committee are holding a benefit dinner to support their work on Saturday, March 7th, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. at the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, 687 Larch Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666. The speaker is Natalie J. Kraner, Esq., Pro Bono Counsel in the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest. Her topic is Asylum for Unaccompanied Minors.

The dinner is free but tax deductible donations will be appreciated.

The Bergen County Sanctuary Committee, a 501(c)3 organization, provides humanitarian support and advocacy for political asylum seekers and asylees. They have assisted many people who have been released with approval for asylum, but with no resources. The recent influx of unaccompanied minors has presented a new challenge for them, as it has for all organizations trying to help undocumented people from around the world.

Call 201-836-5187 for more information and to make reservations.

CoFiA will sponsor a Special Immigration Forum on Monday February 23, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 9 E. Homestead Ave., Palisades Park. The forum will present information on the President’s Executive Order on immigration, especially the new DACA/DAPA programs.

DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) provides relief from deportation for young people who were brought here by their parents, without documentation. DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability) allows some parents of U.S. citizens or legal residents to receive relief from deportation, work permits, and other benefits.

Neither constitute paths to citizenship but would provide important relief to millions of people.

Michael Wildes has spoken several times at CoFiA-sponsored events. He is a Managing Partner with the leading immigration law firm of Wildes and Weinberg PC in New York City, Englewood, and Miami, Florida. A former Federal Prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, he is also Adjunct Professor of Immigration Law and served two terms as the Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey. He was a member of the N.J. Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Immigration as well.

At the forum attendees will learn: Who is eligible for DAPA/DACA. What benefits the programs will provide. What documents are needed for the application. When you can apply. Mr. Wildes and his staff will take questions.

The forum is open to all and is free. In Spanish and English.

For more information call 201-833-1737 (English) or 201-598-2253 (English and Spanish).

Our friends at the Centro Comunitario U.S. (CEUS) are offering free seminars to provide information about President Obama’s Executive Action that will provide legal status (but not citizenship) to some of the 11 million people who are living and working here without papers. The programs he has announced are called Deferred Action for Parental Accountability  (DAPA) and an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The CEUS seminars are held on Friday nights, January 23, 30, and February 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at 4214 Kennedy Blvd., Union City. People who attend will learn who is eligible for the programs, what documents will be required to submit an application, and what to do if you have a criminal record of any kind.

The leaders of the seminars will also caution people about believing offers currently being made by unscrupulous lawyers and notaries. Applications for DACA will not be available until February 18, and for DAPA not until May 19 so it is not possible to submit them at this time. .

The meeting is open to all immigrants and is free. For more information call 201-617-2466.

The seminars are conducted in Spanish.

CoFiA is inviting bilingual volunteers who are interested in assisting immigrants in completing the applications to let us know. We will try to arrange training sessions and organize times when assistance can be provided. Call Margaret at 201-833-1737 for more information.

CoFiA will hold an informational session on Monday, February 23, 2014, at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Palisades Park, with Attorney Michael Wildes, a well-known immigration lawyer, as speaker.  More information to follow.

Article and photo by Norm Smith

All names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.

One of CoFiA’s most important and challenging tasks is wage-theft resolution . 2014 was a busy and often successful year. Here is a review of some of these challenges.

Wage theft is understandable. Often the contractor who doesn’t pay hasn’t received payment himself or herself. Finding the contractor is a major challenge, and even if persuaded to pay, he or she may immediately go out of business.

One restaurant worker said his boss was named Ramon. Ramon was nowhere to be found, but knowing the restaurant was Indian we were able to locate him–a man named Ramesh. Ramesh claimed the worker left without notice so he withheld the last 6 days of his wages. When we pointed out that the NJ Department of Labor (DOL) does not recognize lack of notice as a justification for non-payment, he settled.

The DOL plays an important role. DOL policy states that even though it is illegal to hire an undocumented worker, it is even more illegal not to pay him or her. If an employer refuses to communicate with us or the worker, we help the worker file a case with the Department. Sometimes the Department’s investigation is all it takes to convince the employer to settle. Sometimes, however, there is a hearing, and sometimes a favorable judgment for the worker. That doesn’t mean he will get the money, but there may be partial payment.

Mr. A is a case in point. A skilled welder , he worked several years for a North Jersey construction company, but changed jobs after accumulating $13,000 in unpaid wages. He filed with the DOL and Wage Theft Committee members accompanied him to a hearing in Trenton, and helped negotiate an $8000 settlement, of which the contractor paid $5,000. CoFiA and the worker are still on the case, working with the county sheriff, the courts, and with banks to locate and extract the remaining $3,000.

Mr. D’s situation is similar. A contractor owed him $900, but denied knowing him when we called. So the case was filed with the DOL, which subpoenaed the contractor to show his employment records. He then admitted that he owed the money and sent $500 to the DOL, which forwarded the money to us to turn over to Mr. D. (Many workers do not have bank accounts, so our ability to cash checks for them is very valuable.)

Sometimes just the threat of DOL involvement will do the trick. Mr. E. worked without problems for a landscaper for several weeks, but then was not paid for three days. The contractor claimed that he was damaging tools and property. DOL rules are very clear that tool damage does not justify wage withholding. The contractor agreed to pay $100 (one day’s work). Since Mr. E. was not expecting anything he was delighted with the settlement.

Mr. M’s was a rare easy case. He said a contractor owed him $600, but was unable to provide more than the first name and cell number of the contractor. That was enough for us to make the call, and to convince the contractor to forward the money–which he did on January 7, 2015. All our cases should go this well!

The Community of Friends in Action is working with other groups to educate both the immigrant community and U.S. citizens around the President’s announcements about immigration.

Known as DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountablity and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) the programs would allow those who qualify to stay in the United States and get permission to work for three years.

It does not mean that a person with an approved deferred action request has legal immigration status, a visa or a green card.  And it is not a path to citizenship.  However, a person with deferred action is protected from deportation temporarily, and is eligible for a work permit.

CoFiA’s staff person Elias is presenting information at the Monday lunch programs on the new actions.  Although few of the day workers would be eligible, it is important for everyone to know what is in the announcement, and to be sure that those who may be eligible will be prepared with the proper documentation when the applications are ready.  For DAPA, applications will be available on May 20, 2015, and for DACA, on February 18, 2015.

It is also very important for people to know there is nothing to be done at this time.  Unfortunately, some abogados and notarios are urging people to sign contacts with them and pay them fees, even though there is nothing to be done now.

CoFiA will host a seminar on Monday, February 23, 2015, at 7:30 p.m., at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church.  The speaker will be Attorney Michael Wildes, a well-known immigration lawyer.  The program will be in both Spanish and English.

For more information send an email to us at info@communityoffriendsinaction.org.

This winter’s coat collection has been extra popular with the workers. There is little work for them during the holidays and in bad weather, and living spaces may be crowded and uncomfortable so they often spend a lot of time outside. We distribute donated coats, jackets, warm hats, gloves, scarves etc. at the Monday lunch and they are always welcome.

This year the daughter of friends of CoFiA contributed warm, soft scarves that she made as a bat mitzvah project. They were distributed at lunch and received with great thanks.

Donations may be left in the designated box at the Leonia Public Library on Fort Lee Road in Leonia, or in the box in Reeb House at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood. We encourage other houses of worship and civic groups to have collection boxes during this bitter weather. Just let us know if you have things to share (www.cofia-nj.org) and we will arrange to pick them up.

Another way to help would be to purchase new thermal underwear or socks to distribute, or send checks payable to the Community of Friends in Action with “winter clothing” on the member line. Checks may be mailed to us at PO Box 313, Leonia, NJ 07605-0313.

By Harvey Gutter
January 2015

COFIA has just completed a very successful winter 2014 fundraising effort.
Thanks to a loyal contributor base and the generosity of the greater Leonia community, we have exceeded our goal by over 50%.
The money raised will help us continue and, in some cases, expand our efforts to:
• Provide hot lunches and clothing
• Assist with immigration issues
• Facilitate OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) training
• Continue Wage Theft collection efforts on behalf of our workers
• Continue and expand the Workers’ Link program, connecting workers with homeowners and small businesses
• Assist with emergencies
This effort was particularly successful because costs were kept to a bare minimum with our own in-house COFIA staff handling all administrative aspects of the campaign.

PHOTOS by CoFiA co-secretary Guillermo Calan

December 29, 2014, brought a large number of both guests and volunteers to the Monday lunch program at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Palisades Park. Every week between November and April the congregation graciously makes the space available to us without charge. Many thanks to Pastor Peter Bauernfeind, AdministratorTina Lindquist, and Pastor Philip Lee of the Korean Church, for their generosity.

We are fortunate to have a number of bilingual volunteers helping us this year, which makes communication between the volunteers and the guests much easier and helps us enjoy being together. Board members Suzanne Broffman, Betty DeMarco, and Guillermo Calan, as well as staff member Angelica Martinez were on hand to answer questions and chat with the workers. Chair Carolyn Sobering and CoFiA member Mary Rausch and the other volunteers met the challenge of having far more people in attendance than we could possibly have expected; one way and another, we were able to make sure everyone went away having had enough to eat. A number of young people donated a few hours of their holiday time to lend a hand. And we needed every one of them!

The lunch program gives us all a clearer insight into why the workers are here, what hardships they endure, and how connected they remain to families at home. Holidays are apt to be lonely and sad, and it is helpful to have a warm place to go where you are welcomed without question.

Much thanks to all the volunteers who continue to donate their service week after week!

Warm winter outerwear is still in much demand by the workers. There is not much work available at this time of year and many days require standing on the street in the cold wind, hoping for any job that may come along.

For several years CoFia, with the Rotary Club of the Palisades, has collected coats at the Leonia Public Library for distribution at the Monday lunch program. This year the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood is also soliciting winter outerwear for the workers.

Most in demand–heavy work jackets, small and medium sizes; warm work gloves; stocking hats. New warm socks are also welcome.

Moore’s Hardware in Leonia continues to provide a free pair of new work gloves for each worker at the Monday lunch during the holidays. Many thanks!

Photo by Betty deMarco

The Intermediate ESL Tuesday night class held a holiday party on December 23 during our session at the Palisades Park Public Library. Among the delicious treats shared by students and teachers was a special Ecuadoran hot fruit punch prepared by Norma (center, in white, in photo).

After our usual study period (working on the past and present progressive tense!) teacher Betty deMarco led a lively game of UNO enjoyed by students and teachers alike.

The ESL class has three sections–beginners, intermediates, and advanced–and is open to anyone. Instruction is in both Spanish and English. The group meets at 7:00 p.m. at the Palisades Park Public Library. After a short holiday break we resume classes on January 6.